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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 22 Jun 2022.
Internet ExplorerApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2012-4969

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2012-09-18
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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
Use-after-free vulnerability in the CMshtmlEd::Exec function in mshtml.dll in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 9 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web site, as exploited in the wild in September 2012.

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

Use-after-free vulnerability in the CMshtmlEd::Exec function in mshtml.dll affecting Internet Explorer versions 6-9. Attackers can execute arbitrary code via malicious web pages. Actively exploited in the wild in September 2012.

MitigationUpgrade Internet Explorer to version 10 or 11, or deploy an alternative browser. Alternatively, apply Microsoft EMET or disable IE as a temporary workaround until upgrade is completed.

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
Internet ExplorerApplication
Affected:= 6= 7= 8= 9

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/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. Determine installed Internet Explorer version
    Open Internet Explorer, click Help > About Internet Explorer, or run 'winver' command, or check the version in Programs and Features
    Affected if Version is 6, 7, 8, or 9 (the affected versions)
  2. Locate mshtml.dll version
    Navigate to %SystemRoot%\System32\mshtml.dll, right-click and view Properties > Details to see the File Version
    Affected if mshtml.dll corresponds to an IE 6-9 installation (typically version 6.0 through 9.0 range)
  3. Check if IE is configured to run ActiveX controls
    Open Internet Options > Security > Custom Level, look for 'Run ActiveX controls and plugins' setting
    Affected if ActiveX controls are enabled (the vulnerability exploits the CMshtmlEd::Exec function which handles ActiveX editing)

A user is affected if Internet Explorer versions 6, 7, 8, or 9 are installed, regardless of mshtml.dll version, as these specific versions contain the vulnerable CMshtmlEd::Exec function code.

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
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch technet.microsoft.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Internet Explorer to version 10 or 11, or deploy an alternative browser. Alternatively, apply Microsoft EMET or disable IE as a temporary workaround until upgrade is completed.

Recommended fix High confidence

Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 7 SP1 or later, or migrate to Windows 10/11 with Microsoft Edge

  1. 1. Determine the current Windows and Internet Explorer version in use by clicking 'Start' > 'Run', typing 'winver' and pressing Enter, then checking 'Help' > 'About Internet Explorer'
  2. 2. If the system is running Windows XP or earlier, note that these operating systems no longer receive security updates and the entire system should be migrated to a supported Windows version
  3. 3. Upgrade to a supported version of Windows (Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or later) with Internet Explorer 11, or migrate to Windows 10/11 with Microsoft Edge
  4. 4. Alternatively, if remaining on Windows Vista or Windows 7 is necessary, ensure Internet Explorer is upgraded to version 11 via Windows Update
  5. 5. After upgrading, verify the version by opening Internet Explorer, clicking 'Tools', then selecting 'About Internet Explorer' to confirm the version is 10 or 11
  6. 6. Enable Automatic Updates on the upgraded system to receive future security patches
Caveat Windows XP and Windows Vista are end-of-life and do not receive security updates; upgrading may require hardware changes as older systems may not meet Windows 7+ requirements

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

Fix this in Internet Explorer Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,580
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,928.

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-2012-4969 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