Is CVE-2023-7101 actively exploited?

Yes. KEV Intelligence tracks CVE-2023-7101 as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed.

What exploitation activity has KEV Intelligence observed?

KEV Intelligence has not yet recorded sensor-observed exploitation attempts for CVE-2023-7101. Our sensors continue to monitor for activity targeting this CVE.

Which versions are affected?

CVE-2023-7101 affects Douglas Wilson Spreadsheet::ParseExcel. KEV Intelligence lists 7 version rows; examples include 0.41 to <= 0.65, 10, and 38.

Yes. CVE-2023-7101 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

Vulnerability report

Exploited in the wild Confirmed confidence In CISA KEV

CVE-2023-7101

Q: How should organizations remediate it?

Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.

Q: Is it in CISA KEV?

Yes. CVE-2023-7101 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

Arbitrary Code Execution (ACE) Vulnerability

Douglas Wilson / Spreadsheet::ParseExcel · 0.41 to <= 0.65

View live feed Monitor via API Watch CVE

Severity: CVSS 7.8 · High
Confidence: Confirmed
Exploit status: Exploited in the wild
EPSS: 16.8%
First observed: —
Last observed: —

Decision summary

What security teams need to know first

Direct answers before the deeper technical record.

What it is

CVE-2023-7101 is an unauthenticated Arbitrary Code Execution (ACE) Vulnerability affecting Douglas Wilson Spreadsheet::ParseExcel. Spreadsheet::ParseExcel version 0.65 is a Perl module used for parsing Excel files....

Is it exploited?

Yes. KEV Intelligence tracks this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed.

Who is affected?

Douglas Wilson / Spreadsheet::ParseExcel 0.41 to <= 0.65.

What should we do?

Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.

Overview

Spreadsheet::ParseExcel version 0.65 is a Perl module used for parsing Excel files

Spreadsheet::ParseExcel version 0.65 is a Perl module used for parsing Excel files. Spreadsheet::ParseExcel is vulnerable to an arbitrary code execution (ACE) vulnerability due to passing unvalidated input from a file into a string-type “eval”.

Specifically, the issue stems from the evaluation of Number format strings (not to be confused with printf-style format strings) within the Excel parsing logic.

Vendor Product Affected Status

jmcnamara spreadsheet\ Through 0.65 Affected

debian debian_linux 10 Affected

fedoraproject fedora 38 Affected

fedoraproject fedora 39 Affected

fedoraproject fedora 38 Affected

fedoraproject fedora 39 Affected

Douglas Wilson Spreadsheet::ParseExcel Spreadsheet::ParseExcel 0.65 Affected

Published: 24 Dec 2023
Exploitation Reported: 02 Jan 2024
Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: Required

CVE References

CVE Record CVE.org · CVE Record https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-7101
GitHub — mandiant/Vulnerability-Disclosures github.com · CVE Record https://github.com/mandiant/Vulnerability-Disclosures/blob/master/202...
https//www.cve.org/CVERecord https · CVE Record https://https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-7101
https//metacpan.org/dist/Spreadsheet-ParseExcel https · CVE Record https://https://metacpan.org/dist/Spreadsheet-ParseExcel
https//github.com/haile01/perl_spreadsheet_excel_r... https · CVE Record https://https://github.com/haile01/perl_spreadsheet_excel_rce_poc
GitHub — jmcnamara/spreadsheet-parseexcel github.com · CVE Record https://github.com/jmcnamara/spreadsheet-parseexcel/blob/c7298592e102...
OSS-Security Mailing List openwall.com · CVE Record http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/12/29/4
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/12/msg00025.html lists.debian.org · CVE Record https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/12/msg00025.html
https//github.com/jmcnamara/spreadsheet-parseexcel... https · CVE Record https://https://github.com/jmcnamara/spreadsheet-parseexcel/commit/bd...
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]... lists.fedoraproject.org · CVE Record https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists....
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]... lists.fedoraproject.org · CVE Record https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists....
security.metacpan.org/2024/02/10/vulnerable-spreadsheet-parsing-mo... security.metacpan.org · CVE Record https://security.metacpan.org/2024/02/10/vulnerable-spreadsheet-parsi...

Exploitation evidence

Why KEV Intelligence marks this CVE as exploited

Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.

Exploited in the wild

CISA

Recorded 02 Jan 2024

Independent exploitation attestation added to the KEV Intelligence record.

Known exploited vulnerability sources

Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEV Intelligence Pro API.

Learn about Pro API access

Source	Added
CISA First	2024-01-02 00:00 UTC

Detection

Operational artifacts and observed signals

Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.

Observed signals

Request targets: 0
User-Agents: 0

Raw values available in Pro and Enterprise.

Scanner coverage

Nessus template detected 02 Jun 2025.

View Nessus template

Virtual patch status

No KEV Intelligence virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.

Learn about virtual patches →

Scanner Artifacts

Scanner and exploit-framework references linked to this CVE.

Scanner	Reference	Detected
Nessus	https://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/214483	02 Jun 2025

Risk and context

Severity, weaknesses, and research context

CVSS v3.1

7.8 High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS

16.8%

Weaknesses

Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code ('Eval Injection') CWE-95

Timeline

From disclosure to observed exploitation

02 Jun 2025
Nessus plugin available

Scanner coverage available
02 Jan 2024
Added to CISA KEV

Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
24 Dec 2023
CVE published

Vulnerability disclosed publicly
24 Dec 2023
CVE ID reserved

Identifier reserved by the CNA

Pro API

Automate this intelligence

Confidence, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.

View Pro pricing Read API docs

Evidence confidence and provenance
First-party sensor telemetry
PoC and scanner references
Affected versions and enrichment
Automation-ready JSON delivery

GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2023-7101

Free JSON includes basic KEV fields

{
  "cve_id": "CVE-2023-7101",
  "confidence": "Confirmed",
  "cvss_score": 7.8,
  "cvss_estimated": false,
  "epss_score": 0.16832,
  "exploit_status": {
    "exploited_in_the_wild": true,
    "active_exploitation_observed": false
  },
  "sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 0, "sensors": 0 }
}

Early warning alerts

Get alerts on high-impact exploitation

Receive curator-selected alerts when exploitation activity warrants attention. Each alert includes the evidence and context needed to decide what requires attention now.