CVE-2012-0189
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 · uneditedMultiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the (1) PrintFile and (2) SaveDoc methods in the VsVIEW6 ActiveX control in VsVIEW6.ocx in IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 allow 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 · moderate confidenceA high-severity vulnerability in the VsVIEW6 ActiveX control (VsVIEW6.ocx) bundled with IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 allows remote code execution through unspecified flaws in the PrintFile and SaveDoc methods when users open a malicious HTML document containing exploit code.
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= 3.0CVSS 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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Verify IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 installationCheck for the presence of IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 by examining the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for an entry named 'IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0', or look for the program directory in Program Files (typically C:\Program Files\IBM\SPSS SamplePower\3 or similar).Affected if IBM SPSS SamplePower version 3.0 is installed on the system.
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Locate the VsVIEW6.ocx ActiveX controlSearch for VsVIEW6.ocx on the system using Windows Explorer or the command 'dir /s C:\VsVIEW6.ocx'. The file is typically located in the IBM SPSS SamplePower installation directory under a subfolder such as \ActiveX\ or \Bin\.Affected if The file VsVIEW6.ocx exists on the system.
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Confirm ActiveX control is registeredOpen a command prompt and run 'regsvr32 /s VsVIEW6.ocx' from the directory containing the file, or check the Windows registry under HKCR\CLSID for a CLSID associated with VsVIEW6. If the control is registered, this command will succeed silently.Affected if The VsVIEW6 ActiveX control is registered in the Windows registry.
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Check if ActiveX control is enabled in Internet ExplorerIn Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level, and under 'ActiveX controls and plugins', verify whether 'Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe for scripting' is set to Enable or Prompt. Additionally, check if the VsVIEW6 control specifically appears in the 'Manage add-ons' list under Toolbars and Extensions.Affected if Internet Explorer is configured to allow initialization of the VsVIEW6 ActiveX control.
A system is affected if IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 is installed with the VsVIEW6.ocx ActiveX control present and registered, and users can be tricked into opening malicious HTML content that invokes the PrintFile or SaveDoc methods of this control.
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 dataDisable the VsVIEW6 ActiveX control in Internet Explorer security settings, remove or replace IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 if unpatched, and apply network-based controls to block malicious HTML content targeting this component.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-0189 — 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-2012-0189 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