dbcve.org
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system · Microsoft

CVE-2012-0175

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2012-07-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
The Shell in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, R2, and R2 SP1, and Windows 7 Gold and SP1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted name for a (1) file or (2) directory, aka "Command Injection 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 command injection vulnerability in Windows Shell affecting Windows XP SP2/SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2/R2, and Windows 7 Gold/SP1. Attackers can achieve remote code execution by tricking users into opening files or directories with specially crafted names that trigger arbitrary command execution through the Shell component.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update (MS12-027) to all affected systems. As a hardening measure, disable automatic thumbnail previews and warn users to avoid opening 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
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2003Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows XpOperating 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
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the installed Windows version
    Affected if The version is Windows XP (any SP), Windows Server 2003 (any version), Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 (any version), or Windows 7 (Gold or SP1)
  2. Check if MS12-027 security update is installed
    Run 'wmic qfe list | findstr "KB2676562"' or check Add/Remove Programs for security update KB2676562
    Affected if The security update KB2676562 is NOT installed on the system
  3. Verify Shell thumbnail handler is present
    Check if the vulnerable Shell32.dll thumbnail handler is loaded by examining the registry key 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Approved' or by inspecting running processes for shell32.dll activity
    Affected if The Shell32.dll thumbnail handler exists and processes can trigger preview functionality
  4. Check thumbnail preview configuration
    Open Folder Options in Windows Explorer and verify if 'Display file size information in folder tips' or thumbnail preview options are enabled, or check registry 'HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer' for 'DisableThumbnails' value set to 0
    Affected if Thumbnail previews are enabled (the attack surface is present)
  5. Confirm Shell component vulnerability exposure
    Attempt to view a test folder or file to confirm Shell can render thumbnails - the vulnerability triggers when specially crafted filenames are displayed in Explorer with thumbnail preview active
    Affected if The system displays thumbnails or file previews without requiring user confirmation to execute

A system is affected if it runs any of the listed Windows versions AND lacks the KB2676562 security update AND has thumbnail preview functionality enabled, allowing specially crafted filenames to trigger arbitrary command execution through the Shell component.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update (MS12-027) to all affected systems. As a hardening measure, disable automatic thumbnail previews and warn users to avoid opening files from untrusted or unknown sources.

Fix this in Windows 2003 Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2012-0175 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