dbcve.org
VisioApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2011-1972

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-08-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Microsoft Visio 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2, and 2010 Gold and SP1 does not properly validate objects in memory during Visio file parsing, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted file, aka "pStream Release RCE Vulnerability."

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Microsoft Visio fails to properly validate objects in memory during Visio file parsing, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited by a specially crafted Visio file to achieve arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches for Visio (MS11-055 or subsequent) and implement network-based controls to block untrusted Visio files from entering the environment.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
VisioApplication
Affected:= 2003= 2007= 2010

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Visio version
    Check the Visio executable version: Navigate to the Visio installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OfficeXX\ for Office 2007/2010, or C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\ for Office 2003) and locate VISIO.EXE. Right-click the file, select Properties, and view the Version tab to see the Product Version and File Version.
    Affected if The version displayed shows Microsoft Visio 2003, 2007, or 2010 (exact version numbers vary by release). Versions outside this range are not affected by this CVE.
  2. Confirm MS11-055 patch installation status
    Check the Windows registry for the presence of the MS11-055 security update. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\ or use the command: wmic qfe list | findstr "MS11-055" to list installed patches.
    Affected if If the MS11-055 patch does not appear in the installed updates list, the system remains vulnerable.
  3. Verify Visio file parsing capability
    Confirm that Visio is fully installed and capable of opening .vsd or .vdx files. Check that file association for Visio file types is registered and functional.
    Affected if If Visio can parse and render Visio files, the attack surface exists. The vulnerability triggers when a specially crafted Visio file is opened.
  4. Assess user file handling practices
    Determine whether users in the environment have the ability to open Visio files from external or untrusted sources, such as email attachments or downloaded files from the internet.
    Affected if If users can open Visio files from untrusted sources without additional network-based controls (such as email filtering or proxy blocking), they are directly exposed to exploitation.

A user is affected if they have Microsoft Visio 2003, 2007, or 2010 installed without the MS11-055 patch applied and users can open Visio files from untrusted sources.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security patches for Visio (MS11-055 or subsequent) and implement network-based controls to block untrusted Visio files from entering the environment.

Recommended fix High confidence

Visio 2003 → Visio 2003 SP3 (latest updates); Visio 2007 → Visio 2007 SP3; Visio 2010 → Visio 2010 SP2; or upgrade to Visio 2016/2019/Microsoft 365

  1. For Visio 2003: Install Visio 2003 Service Pack 3 (already noted as affected, but ensure it's the latest patched version)
  2. For Visio 2007: Upgrade to Visio 2007 Service Pack 3 or later
  3. For Visio 2010: Upgrade to Visio 2010 Service Pack 2 or later
  4. Alternatively, upgrade to a currently supported version of Visio such as Visio 2016 or Visio 2019/365 subscriptions which include security updates
  5. Apply updates via Microsoft Update or Windows Update
Caveat Upgrading between major Visio versions may require file format compatibility checks; older .vsd files may need conversion; some features or macros may behave differently in newer versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Visio Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-1972 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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