How severe is CVE-2011-0978?

CVE-2011-0978 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3, rated critical severity.

Is CVE-2011-0978 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 43% (99th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2011-0978?

CVE-2011-0978 primarily affects Microsoft Excel. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2011-0978?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2011-0978 published?

CVE-2011-0978 was published on 2011-02-10 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2011-0978

CVE-2011-0978 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Excel with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 43% places it in the 99th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-119.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 2.0 base score 9.3)
EPSS exploit prediction: 43% (99th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Microsoft Excel
Published: 2011-02-10
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

Stack-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Excel 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP2; Office 2004 for Mac; Excel Viewer SP2; and Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors related to an axis properties record, and improper incrementing of an array index, aka "Excel Array Indexing Vulnerability."

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2011-0978?: Stack-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Excel 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP2; Office 2004 for Mac; Excel Viewer SP2; and Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors related to an axis properties record, and improper incrementing of an array index, aka "Excel Array Indexing Vulnerability."
How severe is CVE-2011-0978?: CVE-2011-0978 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3, rated critical severity.
Is CVE-2011-0978 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 43% (99th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2011-0978?: CVE-2011-0978 primarily affects Microsoft Excel. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2011-0978?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2011-0978 published?: CVE-2011-0978 was published on 2011-02-10 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel:2002:sp3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel:2003:sp3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel:2007:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel_viewer:-:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office:2004:*:mac:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office_compatibility_pack:2007:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Microsoft Excel

CVE-2008-0081 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Unspecified vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 2000 SP3 through 2003 SP2, Viewer 2003, and Office 2004 for Mac allows…
CVE-2015-6177 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Microsoft Excel 2007 SP3, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, and Excel Viewer allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary…
CVE-2015-6122 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Microsoft Excel 2007 SP3, Excel 2010 SP2, Excel for Mac 2011, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, and Excel Viewer allow…
CVE-2015-6040 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Microsoft Excel 2007 SP3, Excel 2010 SP2, Excel for Mac 2011, Excel 2016 for Mac, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, and…
CVE-2015-6094 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Microsoft Excel 2010 SP2, Excel 2013 SP1, Excel 2013 RT SP1, Excel 2016, Excel for Mac 2011, Excel 2016 for Mac, and…
CVE-2015-6038 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Microsoft Excel 2007 SP3, Excel 2010 SP2, Excel 2013 SP1, Excel 2013 RT SP1, Excel 2016, Excel for Mac 2011, Excel 2016…

All CVEs affecting Microsoft Excel →

Other CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-2778 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandbox escape due to incorrect boundary conditions in the DOM: Core & HTML component. This vulnerability was fixed in…
CVE-2026-2776 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandbox escape due to incorrect boundary conditions in the Telemetry component in External Software. This vulnerability…
CVE-2025-1866 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer vulnerability in warmcat libwebsockets allows…
CVE-2022-27625 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability regarding improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer is found in the…
CVE-2022-27624 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability regarding improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer is found in the…
CVE-2020-11896 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Treck TCP/IP stack before 6.0.1.66 allows Remote Code Execution, related to IPv4 tunneling.

Browse all CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) vulnerabilities →