Cross-Site Scripting in exceljs

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

6.1 · CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2018-16459: 0.76% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 55.32 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Versions of exceljs before 1.6.0 are vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability is due to exceljs not validating data from parsed XLSX file and embedding HTML tags, like <script directly into the sheet cells. Because of this it's possible to inject malicious JavaScript code and execute it when data from the sheet is displayed in the browser. Recommendation Update to version 1.6.0 or later.

Published by the source

11 Sep 2018, 18:58 UTC

Last modified by the source

8 Nov 2023, 03:59 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 12:26 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-2j2j-8rrv-264g

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-2j2j-8rrv-264g

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2018-16459

Advisory: Cross-Site Scripting in exceljs
IDs: CVE-2018-16459, GHSA-2j2j-8rrv-264g
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2018-16459 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 12:26 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 6.1)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: exceljs 1.6.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm exceljs: affected < 1.6.0; fixed in 1.6.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls exceljs --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on exceljs.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-2j2j-8rrv-264g (OSV record GHSA-2j2j-8rrv-264g lists affected ranges: npm exceljs >=0 <1.6.0 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-2j2j-8rrv-264g (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-2j2j-8rrv-264g lists affected ranges: npm exceljs >=0 <1.6.0)

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