dbcve.org
.net FrameworkApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2012-0015

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-02-14
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 .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.5.1 does not properly calculate the length of an unspecified buffer, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via (1) a crafted XAML browser application (aka XBAP), (2) a crafted ASP.NET application, or (3) a crafted .NET Framework application, aka ".NET Framework Heap 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 .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.5.1 contains a buffer length calculation error in unspecified buffer handling code, leading to heap corruption. This memory corruption can be triggered remotely via crafted XBAP (XAML browser) applications, ASP.NET applications, or standalone .NET applications, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS12-016 (or subsequent cumulative update) to patch the .NET Framework buffer length calculation vulnerability. Until patching is feasible, consider disabling XAML browser applications in Internet Explorer and restricting untrusted .NET code execution.

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
.net FrameworkApplication
Affected:= 2.0= 3.5.1

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 .NET Framework version
    Check the Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v2.0.50727 (for .NET 2.0) and HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v3.5 (for .NET 3.5). Look for the Version value and the SP value in each key.
    Affected if The Version value shows 2.0.50727 with SP2, or 3.5 with SP1, indicating an unpatched .NET 2.0 SP2 or 3.5.1 installation.
  2. Confirm .NET 2.0 SP2 presence
    In the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v2.0.50727, check if an Install value exists and equals 1, and verify the SP value equals 2.
    Affected if The SP value is less than 2 or missing, indicating the system is running an unpatched .NET Framework 2.0 SP2.
  3. Confirm .NET 3.5.1 presence
    In the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v3.5, check if an Install value exists and equals 1, and verify the version indicates 3.5.1 (which includes .NET 2.0 SP2 as a baseline).
    Affected if The system has .NET 3.5.1 installed without the MS12-016 patch applied.
  4. Check for XBAP support in Internet Explorer
    In Internet Explorer, navigate to Internet Options > Security > Custom Level. Look for the 'Enable XAML browser applications' setting under the .NET Framework settings section.
    Affected if XBAP support is enabled (set to Enable or Prompt), allowing the vulnerability to be triggered via malicious XBAP content in web pages.
  5. Verify if untrusted .NET code execution is possible
    Check if the system runs ASP.NET applications that may process untrusted input, or if users can run untrusted .NET applications from external sources.
    Affected if The system hosts ASP.NET applications accessible to untrusted users, or users can execute downloaded untrusted .NET applications, providing an attack vector for this vulnerability.

A system is affected if it has .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 or 3.5.1 installed without MS12-016 applied AND has XBAP enabled or permits execution of untrusted .NET code.

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 update MS12-016 (or subsequent cumulative update) to patch the .NET Framework buffer length calculation vulnerability. Until patching is feasible, consider disabling XAML browser applications in Internet Explorer and restricting untrusted .NET code execution.

Recommended fix High confidence

For systems requiring newer .NET Framework, upgrade to .NET Framework 4.x or later versions which are not affected by this vulnerability

  1. Check installed .NET Framework version by examining the registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v2.0.50727
  2. Verify the specific subversion and installed service packs to confirm vulnerability status
  3. Apply security update through Windows Update or download from Microsoft Update Catalog
  4. For Windows Vista/Server 2008 systems with .NET Framework 3.5.1, apply the relevant security bulletin patch (MS12-016)
  5. After patching, verify the installation was successful by checking the installed version matches the patched version
  6. Restart affected services or reboot the system if required
Caveat If upgrading from .NET Framework 2.0/3.5.1 to 4.x, verify application compatibility as some legacy APIs may require modification

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

Fix this in .net Framework Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,060
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,896.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-0015 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2012-0015 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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