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Visio ViewerApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2012-0137

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-2012-0019, CVE-2012-0020, CVE-2012-0136, 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. When parsing VSD files with specially crafted attributes, the application fails to properly handle memory, allowing an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution by tricking a user into opening a malicious Visio file.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS12-014 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to patch the memory corruption vulnerability. Until patched, avoid opening Visio files from untrusted sources and consider disabling the Visio Viewer add-in or using application whitelisting.

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. Verify Visio Viewer 2010 installation
    Open Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for an entry named 'Microsoft Visio Viewer' or similar
    Affected if Microsoft Visio Viewer 2010 is listed as installed
  2. Identify installed version number
    Run 'msiexec /x {ProductCode}' or check registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\VisioViewer\InstallRoot to find the exact version, then compare against 2010 Gold (14.0.4750.1000) and SP1 (14.0.5114.5000) build numbers
    Affected if Version matches 2010 base (14.0.x) or SP1 (14.0.5114.x) without subsequent security patches
  3. Confirm Visio Viewer add-in is active
    Check browser add-ons (Internet Explorer Manage Add-ons) or Office application COM add-ins for 'Visio Viewer' or 'Microsoft Visio Viewer 2010' being enabled
    Affected if The Visio Viewer add-in component is enabled and loadable
  4. Verify VSD file type handler exists
    Check file association for .vsd files (HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.vsd) or attempt to open a VSD file to see if Visio Viewer is invoked
    Affected if The system can process VSD files through Visio Viewer

If Microsoft Visio Viewer 2010 (unpatched) is installed with the viewer functionality enabled and capable of opening VSD files, the environment is vulnerable to this CVE.

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 MS12-014 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to patch the memory corruption vulnerability. Until patched, avoid opening Visio files from untrusted sources and consider disabling the Visio Viewer add-in or using application whitelisting.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Microsoft Visio Viewer 2010 with security updates applied, or migrate to a newer Microsoft Office/Visio Viewer version

  1. 1. Uninstall Microsoft Visio Viewer 2010 from the affected system.
  2. 2. Download and install a newer version of Microsoft Visio Viewer or Microsoft Office that includes the security update for CVE-2012-0137.
  3. 3. Verify the installation was successful and the vulnerable version is no longer present.
  4. 4. Ensure the updated Visio Viewer is configured as the default handler for .vsd files.
Caveat Upgrading from Visio Viewer 2010 to a newer version may require changes to workflow or additional licensing for newer Office products

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

Fix this in Visio Viewer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2012-0137 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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