CVE-2012-0164
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 · uneditedMicrosoft .NET Framework 4 does not properly compare index values, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application hang) via crafted requests to a Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) application, aka ".NET Framework Index Comparison 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 confidenceMicrosoft .NET Framework 4 contains a flaw in index comparison logic within Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). Remote attackers can send crafted requests to WPF applications, causing improper index value comparisons that result in application hang (denial of service).
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= 4.0CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
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.
-
Check .NET Framework 4.0 installationRun 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full" /v Version' in Command Prompt or use PowerShell: 'Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full' | Select-Object Version'Affected if The version displayed equals 4.0 (exactly) with no subsequent updates installed
-
Identify WPF applications in the environmentSearch for .exe files in your applications directory that reference WPF by checking for 'PresentationFramework' in dependencies using 'Get-Process' or examining application manifests, or check IIS for .NET XAML browser applications (XBAP)Affected if Any WPF-based applications, services, or XBAP websites are running and accessible over the network
-
Verify network-exposed WPF endpointsReview web applications and services that use WPF components and check if they accept index or array-related input from remote clientsAffected if WPF applications accept untrusted network requests containing index values that could trigger the comparison flaw
-
Check for unpatched .NET 4.0 installationsCompare the installed version from step 1 against Microsoft security bulletin MS12-025 reference; the patched versions are 4.0.30319 (specific updates apply)Affected if The .NET Framework 4.0 version is exactly 4.0 without any subsequent security updates applied
You are affected if .NET Framework 4.0 is installed without security updates AND you run WPF applications that accept remote requests with index values.
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 dataApply the Microsoft security update for .NET Framework 4 to patch the index comparison vulnerability, then restart affected WPF applications to restore normal operation.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-0164 — 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-2012-0164 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data