Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2012-1854?

Affected: Office (Microsoft) versions 2003-sp3, 2007-sp2, 2007-sp3, 2010-sp1, 2010; Visual Basic For Applications (Microsoft); Visual Basic For Applications Sdk (Microsoft). The full list is in the CVE brief.

Is CVE-2012-1854 being exploited in the wild?

It is exploited in the wild, listed in CISA KEV, Industry KEV feed, CIRCL KEV, ENISA EUVD since Jul 10, 2012.

Is CVE-2012-1854 in the CISA KEV catalog?

Yes. It was added on Apr 13, 2026 with a federal remediation due date of Apr 27, 2026.

Is there a public exploit for CVE-2012-1854?

Public exploit code is available.

Is there a fix for CVE-2012-1854?

No fixed version is listed yet; check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

How urgently should CVE-2012-1854 be patched?

Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

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Vulnerability Intelligence

CVE-2012-1854

HighExploitedPublic exploit

Published Jul 10, 2012 · Updated Apr 22, 2026

Key Facts

Patch immediately

CVE-2012-1854 is a high-severity vulnerability (CVSS 7.8 v3.1) affecting Office (Microsoft), Visual Basic For Applications (Microsoft), Visual Basic For Applications Sdk (Microsoft).
It is exploited in the wild, listed in CISA KEV, Industry KEV feed, CIRCL KEV, ENISA EUVD since Jul 10, 2012. Public exploit code is available.
EPSS estimates a 21% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
No fixed version is listed yet; check the vendor advisory for mitigations.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

CVSS v3.1

7.8

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS (30-day exploit likelihood)

21%

Higher than 97.5% of all scored CVEs

Exploited in the wild

Yes

4 catalog listings

Public exploit code

Available

Proof-of-concept or weaponized module

Get the full CVE-2012-1854 brief as a PDF

Every affected product and fixed release, exploitation status and a first 24 hours response checklist, emailed within minutes.

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.

Known-Exploited Catalog Listings

Catalog	Added	Remediation due	Ransomware use
CISA KEV	Apr 13, 2026	Apr 27, 2026	Not reported
Industry KEV feed	Jul 10, 2012	Apr 27, 2026	Not reported
CIRCL KEV	Jul 10, 2012	Apr 27, 2026	Not reported
ENISA EUVD	Apr 13, 2026	n/a	Not reported

Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Affected Products

9 affected entries in total

Product	Affected versions	Fixed in
OfficeMicrosoft	2003-sp3, 2007-sp2, 2007-sp3, 2010-sp1, 2010	n/a
Visual Basic For ApplicationsMicrosoft	See advisory	n/a
Visual Basic For Applications SdkMicrosoft	See advisory	n/a

Timeline

Publicly disclosed
Jul 10, 2012
Added to Industry KEV feed
Jul 10, 2012
Added to CIRCL KEV
Jul 10, 2012
Added to CISA KEV
Apr 13, 2026
Added to ENISA EUVD
Apr 13, 2026
Last updated
Apr 22, 2026

Weakness Type

CWE-426 Untrusted Search Path

References

2 more references in the full CVE brief

FAQ

Common Questions.

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…
Affected: Office (Microsoft) versions 2003-sp3, 2007-sp2, 2007-sp3, 2010-sp1, 2010; Visual Basic For Applications (Microsoft); Visual Basic For Applications Sdk (Microsoft). The full list is in the CVE brief.
It is exploited in the wild, listed in CISA KEV, Industry KEV feed, CIRCL KEV, ENISA EUVD since Jul 10, 2012.
Yes. It was added on Apr 13, 2026 with a federal remediation due date of Apr 27, 2026.
Public exploit code is available.
No fixed version is listed yet; check the vendor advisory for mitigations.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.

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