CVE-2012-2550
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 Works 9 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) via a crafted Word .doc file, aka "Works Heap 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 confidenceHeap-based memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Works 9 that triggers when processing a specially crafted Word .doc file, allowing remote code execution or denial of service via heap memory corruption.
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= 9.0CVSS 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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Check if Microsoft Works 9 is installedInspect installed programs via Add/Remove Programs, registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall, or using system inventory toolsAffected if Microsoft Works 9 appears in installed software list
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Confirm installed version is exactly 9.0Retrieve the exact version number from the Works installation and compare to the affected range (9.0 only)Affected if Installed version equals 9.0 exactly
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Verify the Word document converter component existsLocate the WksWordProcessor.dll or equivalent DLL responsible for parsing .doc files within the Works program directoryAffected if The Works Word processing component is present on the system
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Check if .doc file association points to WorksInspect default program associations or file type handlers to see if .doc files are configured to open with Microsoft WorksAffected if .doc files are associated with Microsoft Works 9
User is affected only if Microsoft Works version 9.0 is installed and its .doc file processing capability is enabled or set as the default handler for Word documents.
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 · scopedDisable or remove Microsoft Works 9 and migrate to supported Microsoft Office versions; instruct users not to open untrusted .doc files from unknown sources.
If Microsoft Works patches are no longer available, migrate to Microsoft Office (supported versions) or use an alternative office suite; for remaining Microsoft Works users, apply KB2754670 from MS12-046
- Check if Microsoft Works 9.0 is installed on the system using Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features in Control Panel
- Download and install the security update from Microsoft Security Bulletin MS12-046 (KB2754670) which addresses CVE-2012-2550
- Alternatively, verify if Windows Update is configured and install any pending Microsoft Works updates
- After patching, restart the affected system to ensure the update takes full effect
- Consider migrating from Microsoft Works to Microsoft Office or a supported alternative to avoid future vulnerabilities
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-2550 — 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-2012-2550 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