CVE-2012-0177
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 · uneditedHeap-based buffer overflow in the Office Works File Converter in Microsoft Office 2007 SP2, Works 9, and Works 6-9 File Converter allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Works (aka .wps) file, aka "Office WPS Converter 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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow in the Microsoft Office Works File Converter allows remote code execution via a specially crafted .wps (Works) file. The vulnerability affects Office 2007 SP2, Works 9, and the Works 6-9 File Converter component.
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= 2007= 9.0all versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check for Microsoft Office 2007 installationOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features, look for 'Microsoft Office 2007' in the installed programs list, or run 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Common\InstallRoot"' to check for Office 2007 presenceAffected if Microsoft Office 2007 is installed and the system processes .wps files
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Check for Microsoft Works 9.0 installationOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features, look for 'Microsoft Works 9' in the installed programs list, or check the registry at 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Works' for version 9.0Affected if Microsoft Works 9.0 is installed and can open .wps files
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Check for Works 6-9 File Converter componentLook for 'Microsoft Works 6-9 File Converter' in Control Panel > Programs and Features, or check the registry at 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Works\FileConverter' for the converter componentAffected if The Works 6-9 File Converter component is present on the system
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Verify .wps file association handlingCheck if .wps file extensions are associated with Works or Office components by looking in Control Panel > Default Programs > Associate a file type or protocol with a program, or inspect registry key 'HKCR\.wps' for the default handlerAffected if The system has .wps file associations configured to open with affected Microsoft products
The system is affected if Microsoft Office 2007, Works 9.0, or the Works 6-9 File Converter is installed and the system can open or convert .wps files.
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.
dbcve · scopedApply the Microsoft security update (MS12-028) to patch the vulnerability. Until patched, do not open untrusted or unexpected .wps files from unknown sources.
Microsoft Office 2007 with SP3 and KB2596892 applied; Microsoft Works 9.0 with KB2596892 applied; Microsoft Works 6-9 File Converter with KB2596892 applied
- Check current Microsoft Office version by opening any Office application, going to File > Help, and noting the version information
- Check current Microsoft Works version by opening Works, going to Help > About and noting the version
- Download and install the relevant security update from Microsoft Update or the Microsoft Download Center
- For Office 2007: Ensure you have installed SP2 minimum, then apply the MS12-046 security update (KB2596892)
- For Works 9.0: Apply the MS12-046 security update (KB2596892)
- For Works 6-9 File Converter: Apply the MS12-046 security update (KB2596892)
- Restart all Office applications after installing the update
- Verify the update was installed successfully via Windows Update > View update history
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-0177 — 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-2012-0177 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
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- 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