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CVE-2012-2897

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2012-09-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 22.0.1229.78 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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
The kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, R2, and R2 SP1, Windows 7 Gold and SP1, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, and Windows RT, as used by Google Chrome before 22.0.1229.79 and other programs, do not properly handle objects in memory, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted TrueType font file, aka "Windows Font Parsing Vulnerability" or "TrueType Font Parsing 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

Windows kernel-mode drivers fail to properly handle memory objects when parsing TrueType fonts, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into loading a crafted TrueType font file. This affects multiple Windows versions and any applications using the Windows font parsing subsystem.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability (MS12-078) and update Google Chrome to version 22.0.1229.79 or later. Consider disabling automatic font loading from untrusted sources as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
ChromeWeb browser
Affected:<= 22.0.1229.78= 22.0.1229.0= 22.0.1229.1= 22.0.1229.2= 22.0.1229.3= 22.0.1229.4= 22.0.1229.6= 22.0.1229.7= 22.0.1229.8= 22.0.1229.9= 22.0.1229.10= 22.0.1229.11
Windows 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows RtOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2003Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Google Chrome version
    Open chrome://version in Chrome browser or go to Chrome menu > Help > About Google Chrome. Note the version number shown.
    Affected if Version is 22.0.1229.78 or lower, or matches any of these specific builds: 22.0.1229.0 through 22.0.1229.11 (excluding 22.0.1229.79 and later)
  2. Identify Windows operating system version
    Run 'winver' from Start menu search, or run 'systeminfo' from command prompt and look at the OS Name and Version lines.
    Affected if Operating system is Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2012 (all versions of these releases)
  3. Confirm font parsing subsystem is in use
    Verify that the system has font rendering capabilities active. Check if any applications that process fonts (browsers, document viewers, design software) are in use, or review installed programs for font-related tools.
    Affected if Any application capable of loading and parsing TrueType font files is present and could be persuaded to load a malicious font file

System is affected if running Chrome version 22.0.1229.78 or lower, or any version of Windows 7, 8, Vista, RT, Server 2003, Server 2008, or Server 2012, and the system can parse user-supplied TrueType fonts.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 22.0.1229.78
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability (MS12-078) and update Google Chrome to version 22.0.1229.79 or later. Consider disabling automatic font loading from untrusted sources as a defense-in-depth measure.

Fix this in Chrome 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-2012-2897 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