CVE-2025-23210 — phpoffice/phpspreadsheet
Fix: PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet@cde2926CVE-2025-23210 is a Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in phpoffice/phpspreadsheet. A fix is available for phpoffice/phpspreadsheet — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Bypass XSS sanitizer using the javascript protocol and special characters in phpoffice/phpspreadsheet
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2025-23210.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
phpoffice/phpspreadsheet🐘phpoffice/phpspreadsheet🐘phpoffice/phpspreadsheet🐘phpoffice/phpspreadsheet🐘phpoffice/phpexcelReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
phpoffice/phpspreadsheet is a pure PHP library for reading and writing spreadsheet files. Affected versions have been found to have a Bypass of the Cross-site Scripting (XSS) sanitizer using the javascript protocol and special characters. This issue has been addressed in versions 3.9.0, 2.3.7, 2.1.8, and 1.29.9. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.9.0 | 3.9.0composer require phpoffice/phpspreadsheet:^3.9.0 |
| 🐘Packagist | phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | all versions | 1.29.9composer require phpoffice/phpspreadsheet:^1.29.9 |
| 🐘Packagist | phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.3.7 | 2.3.7composer require phpoffice/phpspreadsheet:^2.3.7 |
| 🐘Packagist | phpoffice/phpspreadsheet | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.1.8 | 2.1.8composer require phpoffice/phpspreadsheet:^2.1.8 |
| 🐘Packagist | phpoffice/phpexcel | all versions | No fix |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for phpoffice/phpspreadsheet, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update phpoffice/phpspreadsheet to 3.9.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2025-23210 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2025-23210 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2025-23210. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2025-23210 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2025-23210 across Packagist dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.