CVE-2018-25215 in Excel Password Recovery Professional
Summary
by MITRE • 03/26/2026
Excel Password Recovery Professional 8.2.0.0 contains a local buffer overflow vulnerability that allows attackers to cause a denial of service by supplying an excessively long string to the 'E-Mail and Registrations Code' field. Attackers can paste a crafted payload containing 5000 bytes of data into the registration field to trigger a crash when the Register button is clicked.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/26/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-25215 represents a critical local buffer overflow flaw in Excel Password Recovery Professional version 8.2.0.0. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow conditions, where insufficient bounds checking allows an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The specific implementation flaw occurs within the handling of user input in the 'E-Mail and Registrations Code' field, which lacks proper input validation and length restrictions. The software processes registration data without adequate sanitization measures, creating an exploitable condition that can be triggered through deliberate input manipulation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal prerequisites and demonstrates a straightforward attack vector that leverages the software's failure to validate input length. When an attacker inputs a crafted payload of 5000 bytes into the designated registration field, the application attempts to process this excessive data without proper boundary checking. The buffer overflow occurs during the registration button click operation, as the software allocates insufficient memory space for the input string, causing the program to overwrite adjacent memory segments. This memory corruption results in an application crash that manifests as a denial of service condition, effectively preventing legitimate users from accessing the software's registration functionality.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially compromise system stability and availability. The vulnerability affects any system running the affected software version, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where multiple users may be utilizing the same software. The crash condition occurs during a routine user interaction, meaning that legitimate users could inadvertently trigger the vulnerability while attempting to register the software. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in automated environments or scenarios where users might be tricked into pasting malicious payloads into registration fields. The vulnerability also demonstrates poor defensive programming practices that could indicate similar issues in other input handling components of the software.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The most effective immediate solution involves applying the vendor's official patch or upgrade to a version that addresses the buffer overflow condition. Users should also implement input validation measures at the application level, including length restrictions and character set validation for registration fields. From a security perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, where adversaries leverage software vulnerabilities to execute malicious payloads. Organizations should consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent execution of untrusted binaries and establish robust input validation protocols. Additionally, regular security assessments of third-party software components should be conducted to identify similar buffer overflow vulnerabilities that could be exploited in similar ways. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of following secure coding practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Secure Coding Practices, which emphasize proper input validation and memory management to prevent buffer overflow conditions.