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Visio ViewerApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2012-0019

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 Visio Viewer 2010 Gold and SP1 does not properly handle memory during the parsing of files, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted attributes in a Visio file, aka "VSD File Format Memory Corruption Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-0020, CVE-2012-0136, CVE-2012-0137, and CVE-2012-0138.

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 Viewer 2010 (Gold and SP1) contains a memory corruption vulnerability in its file parsing logic for VSD files. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious Visio files with specially crafted attributes that cause improper memory handling, leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the viewing application.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS12-014 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to patch the memory corruption vulnerability in Visio Viewer 2010. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted Visio files and disable file preview in email gateways.

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
Visio ViewerApplication
Affected:= 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 if Visio Viewer 2010 is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, look for 'Microsoft Visio Viewer' in the installed programs list, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell
    Affected if Microsoft Visio Viewer 2010 appears in installed programs
  2. Determine the exact version number
    Right-click the installed Visio Viewer entry in Programs and Features and select Properties, or check the file version of the main executable (typically in Program Files\Microsoft Office\Web Components\ or Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Web Components\)
    Affected if Version is 2010 (no service pack or SP1 applied) - compare against known affected ranges
  3. Verify the Visio Viewer add-in is loaded in Internet Explorer
    Open Internet Explorer > Manage Add-ons > Enable or Disable Add-ons, look for 'Visio Viewer' under 'Microsoft Corporation' or 'Web Folders' components
    Affected if Visio Viewer add-in is present and enabled in IE
  4. Confirm VSD file association or preview handler exists
    Check registry keys under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.vsd or HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\VisioViewer.Viewer\* to see if Visio Viewer is registered as the handler for .vsd files
    Affected if Visio Viewer is registered as the default handler for .vsd files (preview or association exists)
  5. Check if Office or Visio Viewer components are present
    Look for the file 'OWSSVR.DLL' or 'VVIEWER.DLL' in the Office Web Components directory (typically Program Files\Microsoft Office\Web Components\)
    Affected if These DLL files exist and are the original unpatched versions from 2010

If Microsoft Visio Viewer 2010 (Gold or SP1) is installed and registered to handle .vsd files, the environment is vulnerable to this memory corruption flaw when processing malicious Visio files.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security update MS12-014 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to patch the memory corruption vulnerability in Visio Viewer 2010. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted Visio files and disable file preview in email gateways.

Fix this in Visio Viewer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2012-0019 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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