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VulnerabilityPublished

CVE-2026-40902: PHPOffice PhpSpreadsheet · Unthrottled Resource Allocation

Affects PHPOffice PhpSpreadsheetSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High · fixed in 5.7.0 : patch PHPOffice PhpSpreadsheet soon.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.5High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 33% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 5.7.0, 3.10.5, 2.4.5 +2
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 12 May 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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 30 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
PHPOfficePhpSpreadsheetAffected
  • >=4.0.0 <5.7.0
Fixed in
  • 5.7.0
PHPOfficePhpSpreadsheetAffected
  • >=3.3.0 <3.10.5
Fixed in
  • 3.10.5
PHPOfficePhpSpreadsheetAffected
  • >=2.2.0 <2.4.5
Fixed in
  • 2.4.5
PHPOfficePhpSpreadsheetAffected
  • >=2.0.0 <2.1.16
Fixed in
  • 2.1.16
PHPOfficePhpSpreadsheetAffected
  • <1.30.4
Fixed in
  • 1.30.4
Packagistphpoffice/phpspreadsheetpkg:composer/phpoffice/phpspreadsheetOther threatsAffected
  • <1.30.4
Fixed in
  • 1.30.4

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Fixed versions 1.30.4, 2.1.16, 2.4.5, 3.10.5, and 5.7.0 of PhpSpreadsheet address this vulnerability by properly validating row numbers against the maximum allowed limit. Users should upgrade to one of these versions or later. Patch status is not explicitly stated beyond these fixed versions; therefore, verify with the vendor advisory for the latest remediation guidance. No other mitigation or temporary fix is indicated in the provided data.

Description

PhpSpreadsheet is a pure PHP library for reading and writing spreadsheet files. Prior to 1.30.4, 2.1.16, 2.4.5, 3.10.5, and 5.7.0, the XLSX reader's ColumnAndRowAttributes::readRowAttributes() method reads row numbers from XML attributes without validating them against the spreadsheet maximum row limit (AddressRange::MAX_ROW = 1,048,576). An attacker can craft a minimal XLSX file (~1.6KB) containing a <row r="999999999"/> element that inflates cachedHighestRow to 999,999,999, causing any subsequent row iteration to attempt ~1 billion loop cycles and exhaust CPU resources. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.30.4, 2.1.16, 2.4.5, 3.10.5, and 5.7.0.

References

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