dbcve.org
PublisherApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2011-3412

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-12-14
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 Publisher 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP2 and SP3, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Publisher file that leverages incorrect memory handling, aka "Publisher Memory Corruption 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 Publisher 2003 SP3 and 2007 SP2/SP3 contain a memory corruption vulnerability when parsing specially crafted .pub files. Attackers can exploit incorrect memory handling during file parsing to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user opening the malicious file.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for Microsoft Publisher (MS11-091). Until patched, warn users not to open untrusted Publisher files and consider blocking .pub attachments at the email gateway.

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
PublisherApplication
Affected:= 2003= 2007

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. Verify Microsoft Publisher is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'wmic product get name' in Command Prompt, and look for Microsoft Publisher in the list of installed software
    Affected if Microsoft Publisher is not installed on the system
  2. Determine the installed Publisher version
    Run 'wmic product where "name like 'Microsoft Publisher%'" get version' or check the version in Help > About Microsoft Publisher within the application
    Affected if The version is neither 2003 nor 2007
  3. Check the installed Service Pack level
    Run 'wmic product where "name like 'Microsoft Publisher%'" get version' and cross-reference with the product name in Add/Remove Programs which typically shows SP3 for 2003 or SP2/SP3 for 2007, or check via Help > About in the application
    Affected if The installed Service Pack is less than SP3 for version 2003, or less than SP2 for version 2007 (meaning SP0 or SP1)
  4. Confirm .pub file handling is enabled
    Check that .pub file associations are configured: run 'assoc .pub' in Command Prompt to see the file type association, or verify the file opens in Microsoft Publisher when double-clicked
    Affected if The .pub file extension is associated with Microsoft Publisher and the application can be launched to open such files

If Microsoft Publisher 2003 SP3 or 2007 SP2/SP3 is installed and the system can open .pub files, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

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 updates for Microsoft Publisher (MS11-091). Until patched, warn users not to open untrusted Publisher files and consider blocking .pub attachments at the email gateway.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade from Publisher 2003/2007 to a currently supported version such as Microsoft 365 Apps or Office 2019/2016

  1. 1. Check the current Microsoft Publisher version by opening Publisher and going to Help > About Microsoft Office Publisher
  2. 2. Download and install Microsoft Security Update MS11-055 from the Microsoft Security Response Center (https://technet.microsoft.com/security/bulletin/ms11-055)
  3. 3. For Publisher 2003 SP3: Install the update for KB2596512
  4. 4. For Publisher 2007 SP2/SP3: Install the update for KB2596512
  5. 5. Restart the computer after installing the update
  6. 6. Verify the update was installed successfully via Windows Update > View update history
Caveat Publisher 2003 and 2007 are end-of-life; no further security updates available. Upgrading to newer Office versions may require license procurement and feature adjustment.

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

Fix this in Publisher Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,300
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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-2011-3412 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data