Remote code execution via malformed PivotCache
Published Jun 13, 2023 · Updated Nov 4, 2025
Microsoft Excel remote code execution in affected Office versions allows attackers to execute code when a user opens a crafted file. Excel's FreePhisxdb PivotCache cleanup processes malformed Schema dimensions, reads beyond an allocated array, and frees attacker-influenced pointers. The attack requires user interaction to open the file; successful exploitation runs with the user's privileges and can affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Summary
What happened
Microsoft Excel remote code execution in affected Office versions allows attackers to execute code when a user opens a crafted file. Excel's FreePhisxdb PivotCache cleanup processes malformed Schema dimensions, reads beyond an allocated array, and frees attacker-influenced pointers. The attack requires user interaction to open the file; successful exploitation runs with the user's privileges and can affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-32029
- Published
- Jun 13, 2023
- Updated
- Nov 4, 2025
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Microsoft Office 2019
- Classifications
- CWE-125, CWE-763, T1203
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 13, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 4, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=19.0.0 <https://aka.ms/OfficeSecurityReleases
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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