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.net FrameworkApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2012-1896

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-11-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.5.1 does not properly consider trust levels during construction of output data, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via (1) a crafted XAML browser application (aka XBAP) or (2) a crafted .NET Framework application, aka "Code Access Security Info Disclosure 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 · moderate confidence

This is an information disclosure vulnerability in Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.5.1 where trust levels are not properly considered during construction of output data. Crafted XAML browser applications (XBAP) or .NET Framework applications can exploit this to obtain sensitive information, bypassing Code Access Security protections.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS12-035 to patch the .NET Framework vulnerability. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict execution of untrusted XBAP applications and limit running .NET applications from untrusted sources.

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
.net FrameworkApplication
Affected:= 2.0= 3.5.1

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
None
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N

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 .NET Framework version
    Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v2.0.50727 (for 2.0) or HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v3.5 (for 3.5). Check the Version and SP values in the right pane. Alternatively, run 'wmic product get name,version' or use PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v2.0.50727' | Select-Object Version, SP
    Affected if The installed version is 2.0.50727.3053 or earlier (SP2 or lower), or version 3.5.50727.3053 or earlier (3.5.1 or lower)
  2. Confirm XBAP execution capability in browsers
    Check Internet Explorer settings: Go to Internet Options > Security > Custom Level > Enable 'Allow XAML browser applications' under the .NET Framework components section. Also check if .NET Framework WPF is enabled
    Affected if XBAP/XAML browser applications are enabled, particularly in Internet Explorer or other browsers that support .NET browser integrations
  3. Verify Code Access Security (CAS) trust settings
    Open .NET Framework Configuration tool (mscorcfg.msc) or use caspol.exe to examine the runtime security policy. Check the Trust Levels for the Local Intranet or Internet zones, and whether full trust is granted to applications from these zones
    Affected if CAS policy grants excessive permissions (such as FullTrust) to applications from untrusted or low-trust zones, or if zone-based trust is not properly restricted
  4. Check for presence of vulnerable .NET assemblies
    Examine the Microsoft .NET Framework installation directory, typically at %WINDIR%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727 or %WINDIR%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5, for the affected System.Security.dll orPresentationCore.dll assemblies. Compare file versions against the patched versions (2.0.50727.5753 or 3.5.30729.5753)
    Affected if The assembly file versions are earlier than the patched versions, indicating the MS12-035 update has not been applied

A system is affected if it runs any version of .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 or 3.5.1 with XBAP or untrusted .NET application execution enabled, and the MS12-035 security update has not been installed.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security update MS12-035 to patch the .NET Framework vulnerability. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict execution of untrusted XBAP applications and limit running .NET applications from untrusted sources.

Fix this in .net Framework Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2012-1896 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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