CVE-2023-38852: libxls · n/a
Affects libxlsSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC
Rated High by the CNA (mitre) · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA
- EPSS
- 1.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 70% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Exploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Aug 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
GitHublibxls/libxlspkg:github/libxls/libxlsOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
Users should monitor vendor advisories for updates. Until a fix is released, avoid processing untrusted XLS files with libxls version 1.6.2.
Description
CVE-2023-38852 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in libxls version 1.6.2. It occurs in the unicode_decode_wcstombs function within xlstool.c at line 266. This flaw allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service by crafting a malicious XLS file.
References
- github.com/libxls/libxls/issues/124 (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/JQYGEBDBCOWBRHOW44BSSRADUOZBXHUE/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/YHBUPYF2NX34HNAWZ3WYHKWU3KWVQUSV/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/JQYGEBDBCOWBRHOW44BSSRADUOZBXHUE/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/YHBUPYF2NX34HNAWZ3WYHKWU3KWVQUSV/ (opens in a new tab)