CVE-2012-4976
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 · uneditedselectawasset.asp in Layton Helpbox 4.4.0 allows remote attackers to discover ODBC database credentials via an element=sys_asset_id request, which is not properly handled during construction of an error page.
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 confidenceThe selectawasset.asp file in Layton Helpbox 4.4.0 contains an information disclosure vulnerability. The element=sys_asset_id request parameter is not properly validated or sanitized when processed, causing the application to include ODBC database credentials in error page output when the request triggers an error condition.
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= 4.4.0CVSS 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if Layton Helpbox is installedLocate the Helpbox installation directory, typically under the web server root (for example, in IIS this might be C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\Helpbox or similar). Check for the presence of selectawasset.asp file.Affected if The application is installed and selectawasset.asp exists in the web directory.
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Verify the installed version is 4.4.0Check the Helpbox application for its version information. This may be displayed in the software UI, found in an About page, or located in a version file within the installation directory.Affected if The installed version is exactly 4.4.0.
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Confirm selectawasset.asp is accessibleAttempt to access the selectawasset.asp file via HTTP through a web browser or curl command (for example, http://[hostname]/selectawasset.asp).Affected if The file returns a response rather than a 404 error, indicating it is accessible via the web server.
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Test for credential disclosure via element parameterSend a request to selectawasset.asp with a crafted element parameter that triggers an error condition, such as: selectawasset.asp?element=sys_asset_id' (note the trailing single quote). Inspect the error page response for ODBC connection strings, database credentials, or other sensitive system information.Affected if The error response includes database connection details such as ODBC DSN names, usernames, or passwords.
A user is affected if they are running Layton Helpbox version 4.4.0 with the selectawasset.asp file accessible via web, and the error output from the element parameter reveals ODBC database credentials.
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.
From vendor dataImplement proper input validation and sanitization for the element parameter in selectawasset.asp, and configure error handling to display generic error messages that do not expose sensitive system information such as database credentials.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-4976 — 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-2012-4976 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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- 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