Excelize ColumnNameToNumber: int64 overflow yields an out-of-domain coordinate with nil error, causing negative slice index panic on r="0" rows
Published Oct 7, 2026 · Updated Nov 3, 2026
Original summary
Normalized public record · Updated Nov 3, 2026
Excelize ColumnNameToNumber: int64 overflow yields an out-of-domain coordinate with nil error, causing negative slice index panic on r="0" rows
Publisher and source text is retained separately from QFinch interpretation.
QFinch assessment
ColumnNameToNumber (lib.go:220-237) accumulates the bijective base-26 value of a column name in an int64 with only an upper-bound check (col > MaxColumns) applied after the loop and no overflow detection. A 14-letter column name whose true value is 3·2⁶⁴ — e.g. VGWQHXLSDVIKWV — wraps to col = 0 and passes the guard, so CellNameToCoordinates("VGWQHXLSDVIKWV1") returns (col=0, row=1, err=nil). When normalizing a r="0" row, checkSheetR0 (excelize.go:417-443, called from checkSheet at excelize.go:405) runs its checkRow closure with col = 0: colIdx := col - 1 becomes -1, and sheetData.Row[rowIdx].C[-1] (excelize.go:424) raises an unrecovered panic: runtime error: index out of range [-1], killing the host process.
Potential impact
A <1 KB crafted .xlsx crashes any service that opens a user-supplied spreadsheet and reads it — upload processing, mail-scanning pipelines, spreadsheet conversion endpoints. Remote, unauthenticated, no privileges.
Technical context
- The row side of the same coordinate gate is enforced (checkRowNum at excelize.go:342-350 bounds r before the make([]xlsxRow, row) allocation; this includes the fix for GHSA-h69g-9hx6-f3v4 / CVE-2026-54063, present in the audited commit). The column side is not: checkSheet/lastRowNum/checkSheetR0 treat err == nil from CellNameToCoordinates as proof of an in-domain coordinate (excelize.go:356, :438), which is unsound because of the wrap-around above. - The same unsound gate also feeds ws.SheetData.Row[rowIdx].C[colNum-1] in xlsxWorksheet.checkRow (rows.go:969): a row combining a valid large column (e.g. XFD1) with an overflowed column panics identically. - Reachable from any workSheetReader-based API on an attacker-supplied worksheet: GetCellValue, GetCellFormula, SetCellValue, GetMergeCells, GetSheetDimension, GetColWidth, AddTable, etc. - Probe on pristine master: ColumnNameToNumber("VGWQHXLSDVIKWV") returns (0, nil). - This is a distinct root cause from GHSA-h69g-9hx6-f3v4 (row-index allocation): different mechanism (int64 wrap-around → negative index, not oversized allocation), different sink, different fix.
Evidence: public source recordsAffected products
| Affected package, product or range | Fix status |
|---|---|
| Consult the referenced vendor advisory for affected versions. | Consult source advisory |
Matching a version is only one part of assessing exposure. QFinch has not assessed your environment on this public page.
Remediation
Apply the vendor-supported fixed release or mitigation, then verify the affected component is no longer reachable.
- Confirm the affected product and reachable code path exist in your environment.
- Apply the vendor-supported patch or mitigation from the primary advisory.
- Rescan the exact deployed revision and retain verification evidence.
Evidence coverage
- SSVC priority
- MEDIUM
- Confidence
- Not available
- Aliases
- None reported
Scores appear only when corresponding evidence exists. Missing data is never interpreted as zero risk.
Sources and record history
Record history
Published Oct 7, 2026 · Last refreshed Nov 3, 2026