CVE-2014-0895
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in the vsflex8l ActiveX control in IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0.1 before FP1 3.0.1-IM-S3SAMPC-WIN32-FP001-IF02 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted ComboList 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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in the vsflex8l ActiveX control used by IBM SPSS SamplePower 3.0.1. The ComboList property does not properly validate input bounds, allowing attackers to overflow the buffer and execute arbitrary code via specially crafted property values.
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= 3.0.1.0CVSS 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
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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 installed IBM SPSS SamplePower versionCheck the program version by examining the executable or using system inventory tools. Common locations: C:\Program Files\IBM\SPSS SamplePower\ or look for 'SamplePower.exe' and verify its version property shows 3.0.1.0Affected if Version equals exactly 3.0.1.0 (any minor variation like 3.0.1.1 or later is not affected)
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Locate the vsflex8l ActiveX controlSearch the system for the file vsflex8l.ocx or vsflex8l.dll. Common paths: C:\Windows\System32\ or within the SPSS SamplePower installation directory. Use Windows search or 'dir /s vsflex8l*' commandAffected if The vsflex8l ActiveX control file exists on the system
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Verify the ActiveX control is registeredCheck Windows Registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID for the vsflex8l control's CLSID, or use regsvr32 to query: regsvr32 /u /s vsflex8l.ocx (will show error if not registered)Affected if The ActiveX control is registered in Windows and available for instantiation by Internet Explorer or other applications
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Check for web browser interaction capabilityReview if Internet Explorer or other browsers have ActiveX controls enabled, and whether IBM SPSS SamplePower is accessed or referenced via web content. Check IE security settings for 'ActiveX controls and plug-ins'Affected if ActiveX controls are enabled in Internet Explorer and the system could load the vulnerable vsflex8l control via web content or embedded documents
A system is affected only if IBM SPSS SamplePower version 3.0.1.0 is installed AND the vsflex8l ActiveX control is present and registered on the system.
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 dataApply IBM SPSS SamplePower FP1 (3.0.1-IM-S3SAMPC-WIN32-FP001-IF02) or later patch. Until patched, disable the ActiveX control in Internet Explorer or use compensating controls such as restricting browser interaction with affected systems.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-0895 — 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-2014-0895 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
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