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PHP CVE-2026-23873

CRITICAL
Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File (CWE-1236)
2026-01-22 security-advisories@github.com
9.0
CVSS 3.1 · GitHub Advisory
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Severity by source

GitHub Advisory PRIMARY
9.0 CRITICAL
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from GitHub Advisory · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorGitHub Advisory

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

3
Analysis Generated
Mar 12, 2026 - 21:54 vuln.today
PoC Detected
Feb 27, 2026 - 15:02 vuln.today
Public exploit code
CVE Published
Jan 22, 2026 - 00:15 nvd
CRITICAL 9.0

DescriptionGitHub Advisory

hustoj is an open source online judge based on PHP/C++/MySQL/Linux for ACM/ICPC and NOIP training. All versions are vulnerable to CSV Injection (Formula Injection) through the contest rank export functionality (contestrank.xls.php and admin/ranklist_export.php). The application fails to sanitize user-supplied input (specifically the "Nickname" field) before exporting it to an .xls file (which renders as an HTML table but is opened by Excel). If a malicious user sets their nickname to an Excel formula when an administrator exports and opens the rank list in Microsoft Excel, the formula will be executed. This can lead to arbitrary command execution (RCE) on the administrator's machine or data exfiltration. A fix was not available at the time of publication.

AnalysisAI

HUSTOJ online judge system has a CSV injection vulnerability in all versions that allows code execution through crafted submissions exported to spreadsheets.

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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata

Access
Register account with formula in Nickname field
Exploit
Administrator exports contest rank list
Execution
Excel interprets formula during file open
Impact
Arbitrary code execution in Excel context

Vulnerability AssessmentAI

Exploitation Authenticated user account required to set malicious Nickname field. … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment.
Risk Assessment CVSS 9.0 with PoC. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in.
Exploit Scenario A participant submits a solution containing a CSV formula payload in the username or code comments. When an admin exports results to CSV and opens in Excel, the formula executes, potentially stealing credentials or installing malware.
Remediation Sanitize CSV exports by prefixing cells with a single quote. … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report.

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Within 24 hours: Identify all affected systems and apply vendor patches immediately. …

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CVE-2026-23873 vulnerability details – vuln.today

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