CVE-2012-1889
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 · uneditedMicrosoft XML Core Services 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 accesses uninitialized memory locations, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted web site.
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 confidenceMicrosoft XML Core Services versions 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 contain a memory corruption vulnerability where the software accesses uninitialized memory locations. When a user visits a specially crafted malicious web page, this can trigger heap corruption leading to arbitrary code execution or denial of service.
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= 3.0= 4.0= 6.0= 5.0CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 installed MSXML versionCheck the Windows registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSXML for installed versions, or check the file version of msxml3.dll, msxml4.dll, msxml5.dll, or msxml6.dll in the Windows\System32 folderAffected if The installed version matches 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, or 6.0 exactly as listed in the affected products
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Confirm XMLHTTP ActiveX control is enabledIn Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level, and verify if the setting 'Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe for scripting' is enabled or not set to DisableAffected if The XMLHTTP ActiveX control can be instantiated by webpages, which is required for the exploit to trigger
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Check for recent MSXML-related security updatesView the installed updates in Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > View installed updates, and search for Microsoft security update MS12-043 or any MSXML-related patches installed after June 2012Affected if MS12-043 or a subsequent MSXML security update is NOT installed on the system
A system is affected if it runs MSXML version 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, or 6.0 AND has the XMLHTTP ActiveX control enabled in Internet Explorer AND lacks the MS12-043 security patch.
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 Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability (MS12-043) or disable/unregister affected MSXML versions on systems where the vulnerability is exposed to untrusted content.
- Apply Microsoft Security Update MS12-043 (KB2719615) via Windows Update or Microsoft Update Catalog
- Alternatively, download and install the specific patch from the Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB2719615
- Ensure the update is applied to all affected systems running Microsoft XML Core Services 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, or 6.0
- Verify the update was successfully installed by checking Windows Update history or the installed programs list
- Restart the affected systems if prompted to complete the installation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-1889 — 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-2012-1889 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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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.
- 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