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WordApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2012-0182

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-10-09
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
High EPSS 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
Microsoft Word 2007 SP2 and SP3 does not properly handle memory during the parsing of Word documents, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted document, aka "Word PAPX Section Corruption 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

Memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Word 2007 SP2 and SP3 where the parser fails to properly handle memory during Word document parsing. The vulnerability stems from PAPX section corruption that can be triggered by opening a specially crafted Word file, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS12-027 (or subsequent patches) to fix this vulnerability. Additionally, disable automatic opening of documents from untrusted sources, enable Protected View in Office, and warn users against opening suspicious Word attachments.

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
WordApplication
Affected:= 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. Verify Microsoft Word 2007 is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, look for Microsoft Office Word 2007 in the installed programs list; or check the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Word\InstallRoot for the installation path
    Affected if Microsoft Word 2007 appears in installed programs or registry key exists
  2. Determine the installed Word 2007 version number
    Launch Word 2007, click the Office button > Word Options > Resources > About Microsoft Office Word; note the build number displayed (e.g., 12.0.xxxx)
    Affected if The build number shows version 12.0 (indicating Word 2007)
  3. Identify the installed service pack
    In the About Microsoft Office Word dialog, look for the text indicating Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Service Pack 3 (SP3); alternatively, check the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Common\InstallRoot for ServicePackLevel value
    Affected if The dialog or registry shows Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3 is installed
  4. Confirm the file parsing feature is accessible
    Attempt to open any .doc or .docx file in Word 2007 to verify the document parser is functional; check that Protected View is not blocking all document access
    Affected if Word can open and parse document files (the vulnerable parsing code is reachable)

User is affected if Microsoft Word 2007 Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3 is installed and capable of opening documents (the parsing vulnerability is reachable).

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 update MS12-027 (or subsequent patches) to fix this vulnerability. Additionally, disable automatic opening of documents from untrusted sources, enable Protected View in Office, and warn users against opening suspicious Word attachments.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft Word 2007 SP3 with MS12‑029 security update (KB2596915)

  1. Identify the installed version of Microsoft Word 2007 (e.g., via Word > File > Help > About Microsoft Office Word) and confirm it is Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3.
  2. Open Windows Update or Microsoft Update to check for available updates, or manually download the security update for Microsoft Word 2007 from the Microsoft Update Catalog (KB2596915) referenced in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS12‑029.
  3. Install the update (KB2596915) and restart the computer when prompted.
  4. After rebooting, verify the update is listed in Windows Update > View update history or in Add/Remove Programs as 'Security Update for Microsoft Office Word 2007 (KB2596915)'.
  5. Test that Word opens and functions normally; confirm that opening previously vulnerable crafted documents no longer triggers the vulnerability.
Caveat None expected; the patch is a security update with no known functional changes.

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

Fix this in Word Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
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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-2012-0182 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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