XSS in Phpoffice Phpspreadsheet
CVE-2026-35453
PhpSpreadsheet is a library for reading and writing spreadsheet files. In versions 1.30.3 and earlier, 2.0.0 through 2.1.15, 2.2.0 through 2.4.4, 3.3.0 through 3.10.4, and 4.0.0 through 5.6.0, the HTML Writer skips htmlspecialchars() output escaping when a cell uses a custom number format containing the @ text placeholder with additional literal text (e.g., @ "items"). The escaping is only applied when the formatted output strictly equals the original cell value. When the format code contains @ with quoted literal text, the formatter substitutes the raw cell value into the format string and returns early without invoking the escaping callback. An attacker who can control cell content in a spreadsheet processed by the HTML Writer can inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript into the generated output. This issue has been fixed in versions 1.30.4, 2.1.16, 2.4.5, 3.10.5, and 5.7.0.
Vulnerability class: XSS (Cross-Site Scripting)
EPSS: 0.002 (10.2th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 5.4 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
Affected products
- Phpoffice Phpspreadsheet — versions >= 4.0.0, <= 5.6.0, >= 3.3.0, <= 3.10.4, >= 2.2.0, <= 2.4.4
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Exploit, Vendor Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-35453?
- CVE-2026-35453 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Phpoffice Phpspreadsheet, classified under Cross-site Scripting. CVSS score: 5.4/10. Published 2026-05-05.
- How severe is CVE-2026-35453?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.4 out of 10.