Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2019-1297
CVE-2019-1297
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
Microsoft Excel vulnerability
Microsoft Excel remote code execution vulnerability arising from improper memory object handling. Actively exploited in the wild.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A memory corruption flaw in Excel allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code by crafting malicious spreadsheet files. Active exploitation in the wild indicates immediate risk to users opening untrusted documents.
CISA KEV Yes · 2022-03-034EPSS 0.21805 (verify live)5CVSS 8.8 (CISA)3CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Impact: total3
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreReported exploitation
1 independent public report of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-03).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.21805 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 8.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) · Affected: Microsoft, Excel. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CISA-assigned via the ADP container (CVE.org), version 3.1; the CNA left no metrics, so CISA's own score is used ahead of NVD.
CISA SSVC (triage disposition)
Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical Impact: totalCISA's own stakeholder-specific triage inputs, published in the CVE record (CISA Coordinator role). NOTE: this is CISA's three decision points; the final Act/Attend/Track decision also requires a Mission & Well-being input not published here, so no overall decision is asserted.
Currency of the record
CISA added this to its KEV catalog 904 days after the CVE record was published.KEV lag = CISA-KEV dateAdded − CVE.org datePublished; a floor on how long the known-exploited flaw sat in the public record before the federal catalog listed it. Severity/weakness here is CNA- or CISA-assigned (current at disclosure), independent of NVD's analysis backlog.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
Craft a malicious Excel file that triggers unsafe memory object handling when opened.
Business
Users who open email attachments or download files from untrusted sources face immediate code execution risk.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
Deliver the weaponized spreadsheet via email, file-sharing platforms, or compromised websites.
Business
Widespread distribution channels enable rapid infection across enterprise and consumer user bases.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
Execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running Excel.
Business
Attackers gain foothold for lateral movement, data exfiltration, or persistent backdoor installation within networks.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05