Documented Harms
Spreadsheet Incident Database
A partial accounting of high-impact spreadsheet failures. These are only the ones we know about. Studies suggest 88-94% of spreadsheets contain at least one error.
Incident Reports
Major Spreadsheet Failures
Root cause: Excel row limit exceeded during critical pandemic tracking
Impact: Contact tracing delayed for thousands of potential exposures
Root cause: Accidentally excluded five countries from a formula range
Impact: Influenced austerity measures affecting millions across Europe
Root cause: Automatic date conversion of gene names (SEPT1, MARCH1)
Impact: Widespread data corruption in published scientific research
Root cause: Copy-paste error in Value at Risk spreadsheet model
Impact: Largest trading loss in banking history at the time
Root cause: Hidden rows excluded from asset sale calculation
Impact: Unintended acquisition of 179 contracts during Lehman bankruptcy sale
Root cause: Spreadsheet errors in bid evaluation model
Impact: Franchise cancelled, Transport Secretary resigned, legal settlements
Root cause: Spreadsheet formatting error bugged 134 phone numbers
Impact: Warrants issued to tap wrong phones for over a year
Root cause: Minus sign omitted when transferring data between spreadsheets
Impact: $2.6 billion capital gains distribution understated; surprise tax bills
Root cause: Formula errors in mortgage hedge accounting spreadsheets
Impact: Largest earnings restatement in corporate history at the time
Root cause: Copy-paste misalignment in power contract bids
Impact: Company purchased contracts at inflated prices
Want to report an incident? Submit via our intake form (an Excel spreadsheet).
Security Vulnerabilities
Spreadsheet CVE Database
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures in Tabular Systems
CVE-2020-EXCEL-1CVE-2013-RANGE-1CVE-2016-DATE-1CVE-2012-PASTE-1CVE-2024-CIRC-1