CVE-2026-86020 in Part-DB
Summary
by MITRE • 10/23/2026
Part-DB is an open source inventory management system for electronic components. Prior to version 2.13.2, Part-DB contains a spreadsheet formula injection vulnerability in the part import/export workflow. An authenticated user with permission to import parts can import a CSV file containing formula-prefixed values, such as =1+1, into user-controlled part fields. When the affected part is later exported as an XLSX spreadsheet, Part-DB writes the attacker-controlled value using PhpSpreadsheet's setCellValue() method without neutralising spreadsheet formula characters. As a result, the exported XLSX file contains an executable spreadsheet formula cell rather than a plain text value. If another user exports and opens the spreadsheet, the formula may be evaluated by their spreadsheet software. This issue has been patched in version 2.13.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/23/2026
Part-DB is an open-source inventory management system designed for tracking electronic components, widely used in engineering and manufacturing environments where data integrity is critical. A significant security flaw was identified in versions prior to 2.13.2 involving the part import and export workflow. This vulnerability allows authenticated users with specific permissions to manipulate how data is rendered when exported as a spreadsheet file. The core issue stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input during the generation of XLSX files, leading to potential server-side or client-side execution risks depending on the configuration and usage patterns of downstream applications that process these spreadsheets.
The technical flaw lies in how Part-DB handles data exported via PhpSpreadsheet. When an authenticated user imports a CSV file containing values prefixed with characters typically interpreted as formula initiators by spreadsheet software, such as equals signs followed by arithmetic expressions like =1+1 or more complex formulas referencing other cells, the system stores these strings without neutralizing their special meaning. Upon exporting this data to an XLSX format, Part-DB utilizes PhpSpreadsheet's setCellValue() method directly with the raw user-controlled input. Because the application fails to escape or quote these values appropriately before writing them to the XML structure of the spreadsheet file, the resulting document contains cells that are interpreted as executable formulas rather than plain text literals by compliant spreadsheet viewers like Microsoft Excel or LibreOffice Calc.
This behavior creates a risk for Spreadsheet Formula Injection, also known as CSV injection when viewed through the lens of data ingestion vulnerabilities. The impact manifests primarily on the client side if another user exports and opens the resulting XLSX file in their local spreadsheet application. If the injected formula is designed to perform actions such as reading sensitive data from other cells or triggering external network requests via functions like HYPERLINK, it can lead to unauthorized data exfiltration or cross-site scripting-like effects within the desktop environment. In enterprise settings where spreadsheets are often processed by backend scripts or automated tools that parse XLSX files programmatically, this vulnerability could potentially be leveraged for Server-Side Request Forgery if the parsing library executes formulas during import on a server with network access capabilities.
From an industry standard perspective, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-94 Improper Control of Generation of Code (Code Injection), specifically in the context of dynamic code generation within data files. It also relates to CWE-770 Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling if the injected formulas are designed to cause denial of service through excessive computation, although the primary concern remains information disclosure and unintended execution. In terms of MITRE ATT&CK mapping, this technique falls under T1560 Data Compressed or Encrypted as it involves packaging malicious logic within a standard data format, and potentially T1074 Data Staged if used to exfiltrate data via external connections initiated by the spreadsheet software.
Mitigation strategies focus on both immediate patching and long-term defensive coding practices. The most effective remediation is upgrading Part-DB to version 2.13.2 or later, where this issue has been addressed by properly escaping formula characters during export operations. Developers should ensure that any data written to spreadsheet files using libraries like PhpSpreadsheet is explicitly treated as text values rather than formulas. This can be achieved by forcing the cell type to string or ensuring special characters are escaped with a leading apostrophe before writing. Additionally, implementing strict input validation on CSV imports and sanitizing output during export processes will prevent similar injection vectors in other parts of the application ecosystem. Organizations relying on Part-DB should verify their version status immediately and restrict import permissions to trusted users only until patches are applied.