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OfficeApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2012-0165

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
GDI+ in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2 and Office 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2 and SP3, and 2010 Gold and SP1 does not properly validate record types in EMF images, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted image, aka "GDI+ Record Type 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

This is a GDI+ (Graphics Device Interface Plus) vulnerability where the library fails to properly validate record types in EMF (Enhanced Metafile) images. An attacker can exploit this by crafting a malicious EMF image file that, when processed by any application using GDI+ (including Microsoft Office), triggers a buffer overflow or similar memory corruption allowing arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2012-0165 (MS12-037) to all affected Windows and Office installations. Until patched, restrict receipt of untrusted EMF/image files and disable thumbnail previews in Explorer.

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 Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions

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 Windows version
    Run 'winver' or check system properties, or execute 'systeminfo | findstr /C:"OS Name"' in command prompt
    Affected if The installed Windows is Vista (any version) or Windows Server 2008 (any version)
  2. Check Microsoft Office version
    Open any Office application, go to File > Help, or check registry key HKLM\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\InstallRoot for Office 2010, or look in Program Files for Microsoft Office folder names
    Affected if Office 2003, Office 2007, or Office 2010 is installed
  3. Verify GDI+ library presence
    Check for gdiplus.dll in C:\Windows\System32\ (or C:\Windows\SysWOW64\ on 64-bit systems)
    Affected if gdiplus.dll exists on the system (virtually all Windows installations have this file)
  4. Confirm EMF image handling is possible
    Verify that any application capable of rendering EMF files (including Office apps, Windows Picture Viewer, or Explorer thumbnail previews) is in use
    Affected if Applications that process EMF images are installed and the user can open or preview such files

You are affected if your system runs Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 (any version), or has Office 2003/2007/2010 installed, and processes EMF image files with GDI+ (which is the default behavior for image rendering on Windows).

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 the Microsoft security update for CVE-2012-0165 (MS12-037) to all affected Windows and Office installations. Until patched, restrict receipt of untrusted EMF/image files and disable thumbnail previews in Explorer.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Open Windows Update or Microsoft Update to check for available security updates
  2. For Office 2003, install security update KB2598289 from the Microsoft Download Center
  3. For Office 2007, install security update KB2598287 from the Microsoft Download Center
  4. For Office 2010 (32-bit), install security update KB2553385; for Office 2010 (64-bit), install security update KB2565058
  5. For Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, install security update KB2676562
  6. Restart the computer after applying updates
  7. Verify the updates are installed by checking the installed updates list

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

Fix this in Office Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,200
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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-2012-0165 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