CVE-2012-0121
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 · uneditedUnspecified vulnerability in HP Data Protector Express (aka DPX) 5.0.00 before build 59287 and 6.0.00 before build 11974 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service via unknown vectors, aka ZDI-CAN-1392.
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 confidenceCritical remote code execution vulnerability in HP Data Protector Express allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. The flaw affects versions 5.0.00 before build 59287 and 6.0 before build 11974. The CVSS score of 10 indicates network-exploitable with no authentication required and complete impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
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= 5.0= 6.0CVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if HP Data Protector Express is installedLook for the software in the system registry (HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall) or check common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\HP\Data Protector Express or C:\Program Files (x86)\HP\Data Protector ExpressAffected if The software is present on the system
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Identify the installed version and build numberCheck the version information of the installed HP Data Protector Express components. In Windows, right-click the executable file (often named something like Express.exe or a service executable) and select Properties, then view the Details tab for version and build information. Alternatively, check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ for a Data Protector service and its associated files.Affected if The build number cannot be determined or the software is found without a verifiable build
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Compare your build against the affected rangesReview the identified build number against the vulnerable ranges: version 5.0 builds before 59287, or version 6.0 builds before 11974. Note that version 5.0.00 with build 59287 or later, and version 6.0 with build 11974 or later, are NOT affected.Affected if The installed version is 5.0.x with build lower than 59287, OR version 6.0.x with build lower than 11974
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Determine if the Data Protector service is network accessibleCheck if the HP Data Protector Express service is running and listening on network ports. Use the command 'netstat -an' to look for listening ports commonly used by Data Protector (such as 2000, 2001, or configurable ports). Check Windows Services to see if the Data Protector service is started.Affected if The service is running and listening on accessible network ports
You are affected if HP Data Protector Express is installed with version 5.0.x below build 59287 or version 6.0.x below build 11974, and the service is network-accessible.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpgrade HP Data Protector Express to build 59287 or later for version 5.0, or build 11974 or later for version 6.0. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, restrict network access to Data Protector services and implement network segmentation to limit exposure.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-0121 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-0121 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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
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