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VisioApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2012-1888

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-08-15
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
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
Buffer overflow in Microsoft Visio 2010 SP1 and Visio Viewer 2010 SP1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Visio file, aka "Visio DXF File Format Buffer 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 confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft Visio 2010 SP1 and Visio Viewer 2010 SP1 allows execution of arbitrary code via specially crafted Visio files in the DXF file format. The vulnerability exists in the DXF file parser and can be triggered when a user opens a malicious Visio file.

MitigationApply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS12-059 or later cumulative updates for Microsoft Office. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected Visio files from unknown sources. Consider disabling file preview in Visio Viewer to reduce attack surface.

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
VisioApplication
Affected:= 2010
Visio ViewerApplication
Affected:= 2010

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. Identify installed Visio product
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, locate Microsoft Visio or Microsoft Visio Viewer in the installed programs list, and note the exact version number displayed (for example, look for version 14.0.xxxx)
    Affected if The installed program is Microsoft Visio 2010 or Microsoft Visio Viewer 2010
  2. Check Visio version details
    Launch Visio, click File > Help, and record the version information shown under 'About Microsoft Visio'. Look for the build number and confirm it is version 14.0
    Affected if The version begins with 14.0 (indicating Office 2010) and matches the affected range
  3. Confirm Service Pack 1 status
    In the Help > About dialog, verify whether Service Pack 1 is installed. Alternatively, check Windows Update history for security update KB2598281 or later (part of MS12-059)
    Affected if Service Pack 1 for Visio 2010 or Visio Viewer 2010 is installed without subsequent security updates
  4. Verify DXF file handling is active
    Open a Visio file in Windows Explorer and attempt to preview it, or open any .dxf file directly with Visio to confirm the file parser is functional. Check if file associations for .dxf are bound to Visio
    Affected if DXF files can be opened, previewed, or parsed by the installed Visio application

A user is affected if Microsoft Visio 2010 or Visio Viewer 2010 (version 14.0) with Service Pack 1 is installed and the DXF file parser is functional, without having applied security update KB2598281 or later.

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 Bulletin MS12-059 or later cumulative updates for Microsoft Office. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected Visio files from unknown sources. Consider disabling file preview in Visio Viewer to reduce attack surface.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to Microsoft Visio 2016 or later / Microsoft 365 subscription for ongoing security updates

  1. Check for Microsoft security updates via Windows Update or Microsoft Update
  2. Search for the specific security update for CVE-2012-1888 or KB2676562 (the original MS12-025 bulletin)
  3. Apply the relevant Visio security patch from Microsoft's official update catalog
  4. Alternatively, contact your IT administrator to verify the patch has been deployed
  5. After patching, verify the update was successfully installed via Windows Update history
  6. As an additional precaution, avoid opening untrusted Visio files from unknown sources
Caveat Upgrading to newer Visio versions may require license procurement and could introduce UI changes; ensure compatibility with existing workflows before upgrading

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

Fix this in Visio Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2012-1888 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data