Untrusted search path vulnerability in VBE6.dll in Microsoft Office 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2 and SP3, and 2010 Gold and SP1; Microsoft Visual Basi
- Published
- Last modified
- Where the record stands: published, rejected by its publisher, or superseded by another id.What do these mean? →
- published
- Whether CISA lists it in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog: proof that attackers are using it.What do these mean? →
- Listed in CISA KEV
- How many real-world setups can hit the bug, from the vendor's advisory and CISA data. It does not know your setup.What do these mean? →
- Actively exploited
- Fix
- Fixed in KB2687626
- Whether working attack code is public (Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or GitHub). Public code makes attacks easier.What do these mean? →
- None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
Summary
Microsoft Office, Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), and the Summit VBA SDK contain a flaw that lets a local user gain elevated privileges. An attacker can place a malicious library file in the working directory, such as a folder containing a Word document, which the software then loads.
Summarized by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5. Verify details against the original sources.
Read the original description
Untrusted search path vulnerability in VBE6.dll in Microsoft Office 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2 and SP3, and 2010 Gold and SP1; Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA); and Summit Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications SDK allows local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse DLL in the current working directory, as demonstrated by a directory that contains a .docx file, aka "Visual Basic for Applications Insecure Library Loading Vulnerability," as exploited in the wild in July 2012.
Timeline
- CVE published
- Added to CISA KEV
CISA has evidence of exploitation in the wild
- Record last updated
- CISA remediation deadline
Due date for US federal agencies to patch
- EPSS reached 10%
FIRST estimates at least a 10% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Affected versions
- n/a n/a
Version range not reported
References 3
us-cert.gov
oval.cisecurity.org
docs.microsoft.com
Questions about CVE-2012-1854
What does this mean?
The bug is an untrusted search path in VBE6.dll. When a user opens a legitimate Office file, such as a .docx, from a folder that also contains a specially crafted DLL, Office can load that DLL, and its code can run with the user's rights. The impact is described as remote code execution.Source: learn.microsoft.com
Am I affected, and how do I check?
Affected are Microsoft Office 2003 SP3, Office 2007 SP2 and SP3, and Office 2010 Gold and SP1, along with Visual Basic for Applications and the VBA SDK. To check a version, open an Office application and look under File > Help or About to see the release and service pack.Source: learn.microsoft.com
What should I do about it?
Install the Microsoft security update for your Office version. The fix listed in the facts is KB2687626 for Office 2003 Service Pack 3. For the other affected versions, check Microsoft's security bulletin for the matching update, since the facts do not list those.Source: learn.microsoft.com
Is it being exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-04-13, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.Source: cisa.gov, cve.now feed data