CVE-2012-0188
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 · uneditedUnspecified vulnerability in the SetLicenseInfoEx method in an ActiveX control in mraboutb.dll in IBM SPSS Dimensions 5.5 and SPSS Data Collection 5.6, 6.0, and 6.0.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted HTML document.
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 confidenceA remote code execution vulnerability exists in the SetLicenseInfoEx method of the mraboutb.dll ActiveX control shipped with IBM SPSS Dimensions 5.5 and SPSS Data Collection 5.6/6.0/6.0.1. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening malicious HTML documents that instantiate the vulnerable ActiveX control and trigger the vulnerability, leading to arbitrary code execution on the target system.
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= 5.6= 6.0= 6.0.1= 5.5CVSS 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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Identify if IBM SPSS software is installedCheck for installed IBM SPSS applications in Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or look for SPSS directories in Program Files (e.g., C:\Program Files\SPSS or C:\Program Files\IBM\SPSS)Affected if IBM SPSS Dimensions 5.5 or SPSS Data Collection 5.6/6.0/6.0.1 is installed on the system
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Verify the exact installed versionCheck the version information of the installed SPSS application via Windows Registry or by right-clicking the main executable and selecting Properties > Details to compare against the affected versions (5.5, 5.6, 6.0, or 6.0.1)Affected if The installed version matches exactly 5.5 for Dimensions or 5.6, 6.0, or 6.0.1 for Data Collection
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Locate the vulnerable mraboutb.dll fileSearch for mraboutb.dll in the SPSS installation directory (commonly in the bin or installation folder) using Windows Explorer search or command: dir /s C:\*mraboutb.dllAffected if The file mraboutb.dll exists in an SPSS installation folder on the system
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Confirm the ActiveX control is registeredCheck Windows Registry for the mraboutb.dll ActiveX control registration under HKCR\CLSID or use regsvr32 to check registration status. The control would be registered if SPSS is fully installed.Affected if The ActiveX control (mraboutb.dll) is registered as a COM component on the system
A system is affected if IBM SPSS Dimensions 5.5 or SPSS Data Collection 5.6/6.0/6.0.1 is installed with the mraboutb.dll ActiveX control present and registered.
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.
From vendor dataApply vendor patches from IBM for SPSS Dimensions and Data Collection, or upgrade to a patched version if available. If patches cannot be applied, disable the affected ActiveX control via browser security settings or remove the vulnerable software from affected systems.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-0188 — 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-2012-0188 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