dbcve.org
ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2012-0143

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-05-09
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 Excel 2003 SP3 and Office 2008 for Mac do not properly handle memory during the opening of files, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted spreadsheet, aka "Excel Memory Corruption Using Various Modified Bytes 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

Memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 2003 SP3 and Office 2008 for Mac where improper memory handling during spreadsheet file opening allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted malicious spreadsheet files.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability (MS12-015 or subsequent related bulletins), and instruct users to avoid opening spreadsheet files from untrusted or unknown sources.

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
ExcelApplication
Affected:= 2003
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2008

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. Check installed Microsoft Excel version on Windows
    Open Excel, go to Help > About Microsoft Excel, or check Programs and Features in Control Panel for the exact version and service pack level
    Affected if The version shown is Excel 2003 (any service pack, including SP3) or earlier
  2. Check installed Microsoft Office version on Windows
    Open any Office application, go to Help > About, or check Programs and Features for Office version
    Affected if The Office version listed is 2003 (including any service packs)
  3. Check installed Microsoft Office for Mac version
    Open any Office for Mac application, click the application menu > About, or check Applications folder for Microsoft Office version
    Affected if The version is Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac (any version)
  4. Verify Excel component is present and accessible
    Check if Excel.exe exists in the Microsoft Office installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\) or verify the application is listed as installed
    Affected if Excel 2003 or Office 2003 is installed and the Excel component is present

A system is affected if Microsoft Excel 2003 or Microsoft Office 2003 (Windows) or Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac is installed, regardless of service pack level within those version families.

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 patches for this vulnerability (MS12-015 or subsequent related bulletins), and instruct users to avoid opening spreadsheet files from untrusted or unknown sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Excel 2003 → Office 2010 or later / Microsoft 365; Office 2008 for Mac → Office 2011 for Mac or Microsoft 365

  1. Upgrade Microsoft Office 2003 Excel to a newer, supported version such as Office 2010 or Office 365
  2. Upgrade Office 2008 for Mac to Office 2011 for Mac or later (such as Microsoft 365)
  3. Ensure all security updates for the new Office installation are applied
  4. Alternatively, if staying on the current version is required, apply the Microsoft security patch for MS12-xxx (the specific bulletin that addressed CVE-2012-0143)
  5. Verify the fix by opening a test spreadsheet in the updated application
Caveat Legacy macro compatibility and older file format support may be affected when upgrading from Office 2003/2008; ensure business-critical templates are tested in the new version

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

Fix this in Excel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2012-0143 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