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Spss SamplepowerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2012-5945

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-04-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Multiple buffer overflows in the Vsflex8l ActiveX control in IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 before FP1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long (1) ComboList or (2) ColComboList property value.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the Vsflex8l ActiveX control (Vsflex8l.ocx) in IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 before Fix Pack 1. The vulnerability allows remote code execution by sending excessively long strings to the ComboList or ColComboList properties, causing heap/stack corruption and enabling arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 Fix Pack 1 or later to patch the vulnerable ActiveX control. Alternatively, disable the Vsflex8l ActiveX control in Internet Explorer or set the kill bit for the control as a compensating control.

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
Spss SamplepowerApplication
Affected:= 3.0.0.0

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify IBM SPSS SamplePower installation and version
    Check the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\IBM\SPSS\SamplePower\3.0 for the InstallPath and Version values, or look in Add/Remove Programs for IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0
    Affected if SamplePower 3.0 is installed with version 3.0.0.0 and Fix Pack 1 has not been applied
  2. Locate the Vsflex8l.ocx ActiveX control file
    Search for Vsflex8l.ocx in the IBM SPSS SamplePower installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\IBM\SPSS\SamplePower\3.0\) and system directories
    Affected if Vsflex8l.ocx file exists in the SamplePower directory or system32 folder
  3. Check the file version of Vsflex8l.ocx
    Right-click the Vsflex8l.ocx file, select Properties, then view the Details tab to see the File Version; alternatively run 'dir /a Vsflex8l.ocx' to see version info
    Affected if The file version of Vsflex8l.ocx is present and corresponds to the vulnerable component prior to the fix pack
  4. Verify if Fix Pack 1 is applied
    Check the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\IBM\SPSS\SamplePower\3.0\InstallInfo for a FixPack value, or look for a file named 'fixpack.txt' or similar documentation in the installation directory indicating FP1 is installed
    Affected if No evidence of Fix Pack 1 installation exists and the version remains at the base 3.0.0.0 release

A user is affected if IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 version 3.0.0.0 is installed without Fix Pack 1 and the vulnerable Vsflex8l.ocx ActiveX control is present on the system.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 Fix Pack 1 or later to patch the vulnerable ActiveX control. Alternatively, disable the Vsflex8l ActiveX control in Internet Explorer or set the kill bit for the control as a compensating control.

Recommended fix High confidence

IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 Fix Pack 1 (FP1)

  1. 1. Navigate to IBM Support website (www-01.ibm.com) and locate the SPSS SamplePower 3.0 Fix Pack 1 (FP1) download page
  2. 2. Download IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0 Fix Pack 1 (FP1) for the appropriate platform
  3. 3. Close all IBM SPSS SamplePower applications before installation
  4. 4. Run the FP1 installer and follow the on-screen prompts to apply the fix
  5. 5. After installation, verify the version shows 3.0.0.1 or later to confirm the patch was applied
Caveat Minor: Apply during planned maintenance window as it requires closing the application; no major functional changes expected

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

Fix this in Spss Samplepower Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,920
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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-2012-5945 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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