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OfficeApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2012-0159

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 Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, R2, and R2 SP1, Windows 7 Gold and SP1, and Windows 8 Consumer Preview; Office 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2 and SP3, and 2010 Gold and SP1; Silverlight 4 before 4.1.10329; and Silverlight 5 before 5.1.10411 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted TrueType font (TTF) file, aka "TrueType Font Parsing 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

A TrueType font (TTF) parsing vulnerability exists in multiple Windows versions, Office products, and Silverlight. Attackers can craft malicious TTF files that, when processed by vulnerable systems, allow arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of TTF font table data during parsing.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches (MS12-027 and associated updates) to all affected systems. For systems that cannot be patched immediately, consider disabling TTF font file handling or using application whitelisting to prevent untrusted font loading.

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
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2003= 2007= 2010
Windows 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8Operating system
Affected:= consumer_preview
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows XpOperating system
Affected:all versions
SilverlightApplication
Affected:= 4.0.50401.0= 4.0.50524.00= 4.0.50826.0= 4.0.50917.0= 4.0.51204.0= 4.0.60129.0= 4.0.60310.0= 4.0.60531.0= 4.0.60831.0= 4.1.10111.0= 5.0.60401.0= 5.0.60818.0

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 Office version
    Open any Office application (e.g., Word), go to File > Account > About [App] to see the version number (e.g., 14.0.x for Office 2010, 12.0.x for Office 2007, 11.0.x for Office 2003)
    Affected if Version matches 2003, 2007, or 2010 (any build)
  2. Check Windows operating system version
    Run 'winver' from Start menu search, or run 'systeminfo' in command prompt and check the OS Name and Version fields
    Affected if Windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2008, Server 2008 R2, or Windows 8 consumer_preview is installed
  3. Check Microsoft Silverlight version
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, find Microsoft Silverlight in the list and check the Version column, or visit the Silverlight version test page at http://silverlight.net/version
    Affected if Version matches any of: 4.0.50401.0, 4.0.50524.00, 4.0.50826.0, 4.0.50917.0, 4.0.51204.0, 4.0.60129.0, 4.0.60310.0, 4.0.60531.0, 4.0.60831.0, 4.1.10111.0, 5.0.60401.0, or 5.0.60818.0
  4. Verify if security update MS12-027 is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, search for 'MS12-027' or '2507224' in the search box; alternatively, run 'wmic qfe list' in command prompt and look for KB2507224 or related KBs in the output
    Affected if No MS12-027 or associated security update is listed as installed

The system is affected if any of Office 2003/2007/2010, Windows XP/Vista/7/8/Server 2008(R2), or the listed Silverlight versions are installed AND MS12-027 security update is not applied.

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 (MS12-027 and associated updates) to all affected systems. For systems that cannot be patched immediately, consider disabling TTF font file handling or using application whitelisting to prevent untrusted font loading.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows: Apply MS12-025 patch per Microsoft KB article | Silverlight: Upgrade to Silverlight 4.1.10329+ or Silverlight 5.1.10411+

  1. Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS12-025 patch for your specific Windows version (KB2658846 for most Windows versions, KB2659262 for Windows Server 2008)
  2. For Silverlight 4: Upgrade to version 4.1.10329 or later
  3. For Silverlight 5: Upgrade to version 5.1.10411 or later
  4. Ensure Windows Update is enabled and install all subsequent cumulative security updates
  5. Verify the patch was successfully installed by checking Windows Update history
Caveat None expected; this is a security patch with no known functional changes

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

Fix this in Office Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2012-0159 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