CVE-2025-54370

Product: PhpSpreadsheet
Version: 3.8.0
CWE-ID: CWE-918: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
CVSS vector v.3.1: 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N)
CVSS vector v.4.0: 8.7 (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N)
Description: SSRF occurs when a processed HTML document is read and displayed in the browser
Impact: Server-Side Request Forgery
Vulnerable component: the PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Worksheet\Drawing class, setPath method
Exploitation conditions: getting a string from the user that is passed to the HTML reader
Mitigation: improved processing of the $path variable of the setPath method of the PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Worksheet\Drawing class is needed
Researcher: Aleksey Solovev (Positive Technologies)

Research

The researcher discovered zero-day vulnerability Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) (in the setPath method of the PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Worksheet\Drawing class) in Phpspreadsheet.
The latest version (3.8.0) of the phpoffice/phpspreadsheet library was installed. Below are the details of the installation:

Listing 1. Installing the phpoffice/phpspreadsheet library

$ composer require phpoffice/phpspreadsheet --prefer-source

The code that processes the HTML string with further rendering and displaying the result in the browser.
Listing 2. Executable file index.php using the PhpSpreadsheet library

<?php

require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';

$inputFileType = 'Html';
$reader = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::createReader($inputFileType);  


$inputFileName = './doc/file.html';
$spreadsheet = $reader->load($inputFileName); 

$writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Html($spreadsheet); 
print($writer->generateHTMLAll());

Also, the ./doc/file.html has the following content: the img tag with the src attribute, which contains the value http:// 127.0.0.1:1337

Listing 3. The ./doc/file.html file

<table>
    <tr>
        <img src="http://127.0.0.1:1337">
    </tr>
</table>

The vulnerability lies in the setPath method of the PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Worksheet\Drawing class.

Figure 1. The PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Worksheet\Drawing class, setPath method.

Figure 2 below demonstrates the SSRF vulnerability exploitation.

Figure 2. Demonstration of the SSRF vulnerability exploitation

Also, there is code on line 154 that could potentially be used by an attacker to perform unsafe deserialization via the phar archive and the file_exists method.

Figure 3. Opportunity to perform phar deserialization

Please, assign all credits to: Aleksey Solovev (Positive Technologies)

Credit

Aleksey Solovev (Positive Technologies)

Untrusted input controls the target URL of a server-initiated request, which may reach internal services not otherwise accessible from outside. Typical impact: access to internal metadata services, internal APIs, or cloud credentials.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2025-54370? CVE-2025-54370 is a high-severity server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in phpoffice/phpspreadsheet (composer), affecting versions < 1.30.0. It is fixed in 1.30.0, 2.1.12, 2.4.0, 3.10.0, 5.0.0. Untrusted input controls the target URL of a server-initiated request, which may reach internal services not otherwise accessible from outside.
2. Which versions of phpoffice/phpspreadsheet are affected by CVE-2025-54370? phpoffice/phpspreadsheet (composer) versions < 1.30.0 is affected.
3. Is there a fix for CVE-2025-54370? Yes. CVE-2025-54370 is fixed in 1.30.0, 2.1.12, 2.4.0, 3.10.0, 5.0.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
4. Is CVE-2025-54370 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-54370 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
5. What actually determines whether CVE-2025-54370 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
6. How do I fix CVE-2025-54370?
   • Upgrade phpoffice/phpspreadsheet to 1.30.0 or later
   • Upgrade phpoffice/phpspreadsheet to 2.1.12 or later
   • Upgrade phpoffice/phpspreadsheet to 2.4.0 or later
   • Upgrade phpoffice/phpspreadsheet to 3.10.0 or later
   • Upgrade phpoffice/phpspreadsheet to 5.0.0 or later