Formula injection in OTRS CSV exports
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · Low · None
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
OTRS 7.0.x, 8.0.x, 2023.x, 2024.x, 2025.x, and 2026.x before 2026.7.x, and OTRS Community Edition 6.x, are affected. User-controlled values are not neutralized when written into CSV exports, so cells can begin with spreadsheet formula characters such as =, +, - or @ (CWE-1236). An attacker can plant such values through stored fields, without necessarily needing an account, for example via incoming email. When a user opens the exported file in spreadsheet software and confirms the security warnings, a malicious formula can cause unintended actions or disclose information.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
Description from the CNA
User-controlled values are not sufficiently neutralized when included in CSV exports. Values originating from user input, including data submitted by authenticated users or received through external communication channels such as email, may be stored in fields that are later included in CSV exports. An attacker can therefore inject values beginning with spreadsheet formula characters such as =, +, -, or @. An attacker does not necessarily require an authenticated account if the affected field can be populated through an external input channel such as incoming email. When an affected CSV file is opened in spreadsheet software, the application may interpret these values as formulas instead of plain text. Depending on the spreadsheet application and its security configuration, a malicious formula may cause unintended actions, disclose information, or invoke external functionality. Exploitation may require the user opening the exported CSV file to confirm one or more security warning dialogs. The vulnerability does not execute code on the OTRS server; any additional impact occurs in the spreadsheet application used to process the exported file. This issue affects OTRS: * 7.0.X * 8.0.X * 2023.X * 2024.X * 2025.X * 2026.X before 2026.7.X Please note that ((OTRS)) Community Edition 6.x and before are vulnerable. Products based on the ((OTRS)) Community Edition also very likely to be affected
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTRS GmbH (former OTRS AG) | OTRS | 7.0.x; 8.0.x; 2023.x; 2024.x; 2025.x; 2026.x – 2026.6.x | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| OTRS GmbH (former OTRS AG) | ((OTRS)) Community Edition | 6.x and later | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- OTRS VendorOTRS GmbH (former OTRS AG) Affected 7.0.x; 8.0.x; 2023.x; 2024.x; 2025.x; 2026.x – 2026.6.x Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- ((OTRS)) Community Edition VendorOTRS GmbH (former OTRS AG) Affected 6.x and later Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
No fixed version is listed for OTRS or for ((OTRS)) Community Edition. No workaround is listed.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
Timeline
- 2026-10-12 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-93581
- 2026-10-12 Alias added: GHSA-r7mj-m7cq-4q83
- 2026-10-12 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
- 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
More OTRS GmbH (former OTRS AG) vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-70873 Authentication bypass via spoofed Remote-User header in OTRS CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.4
- TI-2026-70866 Insufficient session revocation in OTRS lets old tokens stay valid CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2026-70864 Path traversal in OTRS SendSupportBundle allows file deletion CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-70865 Unauthenticated disclosure of OTRS Agent Frontend configuration CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.3
- TI-2026-70868 Duplicate customer identities across backends in OTRS CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.4
- TI-2026-70862 Cross-site request forgery in OTRS Import/Export admin console CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.4
Sources
- CVE-2026-93581 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-93581 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-r7mj-m7cq-4q83 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences