CVE-2014-2054: Phpoffice/phpexcel PHPExcel Vulnerable To XXE Attacks Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-28rm-rj57-qjpv
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CWE-611
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2014-2054 is a MODERATE phpexcel vulnerable to xxe attacks vulnerability (CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) affecting Phpoffice/phpexcel libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves phpexcel vulnerable to xxe attacks through libxml. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.8.0.

CVE-2014-2054 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2014-2054
GHSA Identifier GHSA-28rm-rj57-qjpv
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference
Affected Product Phpoffice/phpexcel
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2014-2054

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Phpoffice/phpexcel dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

phpoffice/phpexcel fixed: 1.8.0 
Upgrade phpoffice/phpexcel to 1.8.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for phpoffice/phpexcel

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2014-2054, inspect your project dependencies for Phpoffice/phpexcel:

inspect dependencies for phpoffice/phpexcel

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Phpoffice/phpexcel in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.8.0), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference, where the product processes an xml document that can contain xml entities with uris that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output. In Phpoffice/phpexcel, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

PHPExcel before 1.8.0, as used in ownCloud Server before 5.0.15 and 6.0.x before 6.0.2, does not disable external entity loading in libxml, which allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files, cause a denial of service, or possibly have other impact via an XML External Entity (XXE) attack.

CVE-2014-2054 Affected Phpoffice/phpexcel Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.8.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
phpoffice/phpexcel
 Packagist
< 1.8.0
1.8.0

References

NVD — CVE-2014-2054 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-2054
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/PHPOffice/PHPExcel/commit/e04bf7ed091b0a72d028eacf26d770b485d4e897
Phpoffice/phpexcel Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/PHPOffice/PHPExcel
Phpoffice/phpexcel Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/PHPOffice/PHPExcel/blob/2b601574975acfb9d4378a788ed5f2b747958095/changelog.txt#L120
Phpoffice/phpexcel Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/PHPOffice/PHPExcel/blob/develop/changelog.txt
Phpoffice/phpexcel Security Information SECURITY
http://owncloud.org/about/security/advisories/oC-SA-2014-006

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2014-2054?
CVE-2014-2054 is a security vulnerability in Phpoffice/phpexcel involving PHPExcel vulnerable to XXE attacks through libxml under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference.
Which Phpoffice/phpexcel versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.8.0 across affected packages: phpoffice/phpexcel.
What version fixes CVE-2014-2054?
Upgrading to 1.8.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is phpoffice/phpexcel affected?
Yes, phpoffice/phpexcel is affected in releases prior to 1.8.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.8.0 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2014-2054?
CVE-2014-2054 is classified under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2014-2054?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for phpoffice/phpexcel'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-28rm-rj57-qjpv",
  "modified" : "2025-03-31T13:40:04Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T04:42:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2014-2054" ],
  "summary" : "PHPExcel vulnerable to XXE attacks through libxml",
  "details" : "PHPExcel before 1.8.0, as used in ownCloud Server before 5.0.15 and 6.0.x before 6.0.2, does not disable external entity loading in libxml, which allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files, cause a denial of service, or possibly have other impact via an XML External Entity (XXE) attack.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpoffice/phpexcel"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.8.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-2054"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/PHPOffice/PHPExcel/commit/e04bf7ed091b0a72d028eacf26d770b485d4e897"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/PHPOffice/PHPExcel"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/PHPOffice/PHPExcel/blob/2b601574975acfb9d4378a788ed5f2b747958095/changelog.txt#L120"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/PHPOffice/PHPExcel/blob/develop/changelog.txt"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://owncloud.org/about/security/advisories/oC-SA-2014-006"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-611" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-09-25T14:11:44Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2014-06-04T14:55:00Z"
  }
}