Weakness (CWE)
CWE-1236: Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File
The product saves user-provided information into a Comma-Separated Value (CSV) file, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as a command when the file is opened by a spreadsheet product.
How to prevent it (3 mitigations)
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Implementation
When generating CSV output, ensure that formula-sensitive metacharacters are effectively escaped or removed from all data before storage in the resultant CSV. Risky characters include '=' (equal), '+' (plus), '-' (minus), and '@' (at).
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Implementation
If a field starts with a formula character, prepend it with a ' (single apostrophe), which prevents Excel from executing the formula.
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Architecture and Design
Certain implementations of spreadsheet software might disallow formulas from executing if the file is untrusted, or if the file is not authored by the current user.
Source: MITRE CWE-1236
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High 8.8CVE-2026-19501 Public exploit
CVE-2026-19501
CSV export functionality in Brainstorm Force SureForms version, <= 2.12.1, fails to neutralize spreadsheet formula characters in user-controlled form field names before generating CSV exports, which allows a remote attacker to execute spreadsheet formulas on …
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High 8.8CVE-2023-33410 Public exploit
Minical 1.0.0 and earlier contains a CSV injection vulnerability which allows an attacker to execute remote code. The v…
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High 7.8CVE-2022-44830 Public exploit
Sourcecodester Event Registration App v1.0 was discovered to contain multiple CSV injection vulnerabilities via the Fir…
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High 7.8CVE-2021-46363 Public exploit
Arbitrary code execution in Magnolia CMS
An issue in the Export function of Magnolia v6.2.3 and below allows attackers to perform Formula Injection attacks via crafted CSV/XLS files. These formulas may result in arbitrary code execution on a victim's computer when opening the exported files with Mic…