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OfficeApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2012-0167

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
Heap-based buffer overflow in the Office GDI+ library in Microsoft Office 2003 SP3 and 2007 SP2 and SP3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted EMF image in an Office document, aka "GDI+ Heap Overflow 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

Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft's GDI+ graphics library allows remote code execution when processing crafted EMF (Enhanced Metafile) images embedded in Office documents. The vulnerability affects Office 2003 SP3 and Office 2007 SP2/SP3, where insufficient bounds checking during EMF rendering causes heap memory corruption that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates (MS12-037) or upgrade to a patched version of Microsoft Office. Until patches are applied, disable preview panes and avoid opening untrusted Office documents containing embedded images.

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

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. Identify installed Microsoft Office version
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, locate Microsoft Office entry and note version (2003 or 2007). Alternatively, run 'reg query "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common\InstallRoot" /v Version' for Office 2003 or 'reg query "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Common\InstallRoot" /v Version' for Office 2007.
    Affected if Office version shown is 2003 or 2007 without service packs or with SP3 for 2003 and SP2/SP3 for 2007.
  2. Verify if MS12-037 security update is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, search for 'MS12-037' or 'KB2699982'. Alternatively, run 'wmic qfe get hotfixid,installedon | findstr "KB2699982"'.
    Affected if MS12-037 (KB2699982) is NOT listed among installed updates.
  3. Check GDI+ library version
    Locate gdiplus.dll in C:\Windows\System32 (or C:\Windows\SysWOW64 for 32-bit Office on 64-bit Windows), right-click > Properties > Details to view file version. The vulnerable version is prior to 5.2.6002.22797 for Office 2007 SP2.
    Affected if GDI+ version is older than 5.2.6002.22797 (Office 2007) or the equivalent patched version for Office 2003.
  4. Confirm EMF image processing is possible
    The vulnerability is triggered when Office renders embedded EMF images. Check if any Office application (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) can open documents. Open Task Manager and verify gdiplus.exe or Office processes can launch.
    Affected if Office applications are functional and capable of opening documents containing EMF images.

System is affected if Office 2003 SP3 or Office 2007 SP2/SP3 is installed AND MS12-037 (KB2699982) update is NOT present, making the GDI+ library vulnerable to heap overflow when processing crafted EMF images.

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 updates (MS12-037) or upgrade to a patched version of Microsoft Office. Until patches are applied, disable preview panes and avoid opening untrusted Office documents containing embedded images.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft Office 2010 or later / Microsoft 365 (Office 2003 and 2007 are end-of-life and no longer receive security updates)

  1. 1. Verify the current Microsoft Office version by opening any Office application, clicking File, and checking the Account or Help section
  2. 2. Back up all important Office documents, templates, and custom settings before making changes
  3. 3. Uninstall Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007 from the system using Control Panel > Programs and Features
  4. 4. Install a supported Microsoft Office version (Office 2010 or later, or Microsoft 365)
  5. 5. Apply all latest Windows and Office security updates after installation
  6. 6. Reconfigure any custom settings, macros, or templates in the new Office installation
Caveat Legacy features, macros, and file formats from Office 2003/2007 may not be fully compatible with newer versions; custom VBA macros and old file formats may require migration or reconversion

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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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-2012-0167 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