CVE-2012-0158 — Microsoft MSCOMCTL.OCX Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

• Documented patch — docs.microsoft.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)

CISA required action CISA

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

US federal deadline: May 3, 2022 — passed 1627 day(s) ago

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Microsoft Biztalk Server, Microsoft Commerce Server, Microsoft Commerce Server 2009…).
2. Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
3. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
4. Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
5. Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
6. EPSS ahead of 100% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
7. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (injection), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-94 · Code Injection

Other CVEs with this weakness →

CISA KEV details CISA

CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.

CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.

Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates

Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.

Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.

Threat actors exploiting this CVE MITRE ATT&CK

According to MITRE ATT&CK.

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 15, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 99.98%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

• Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
• Look for parameters with command/query metacharacters and unexpected child processes of the service.
• Hunt retroactively in logs from before Nov 3, 2021 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

• 2026
• Fix documented
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Affected products added · microsoft/office, microsoft/office web components, microsoft/sql server 2000, microsoft/sql server 2005, microsoft/sql s
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Source status changed · Published → Analyzed
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Record published
  Oct 13, 2026
• CVSS changed · 8.8
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• Source status changed · → Published
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• SSVC assessment updated
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• Added to CISA KEV (detected)
  Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
• Record created in this database
  Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
• 2021
• Added to CISA KEV catalog
  Nov 2, 2021 · CISA
• 2012
• CVE published
  Apr 10, 2012 · microsoft

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

• 3× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
• 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

16 on the record

• docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2012/ms12-027
  vendor-advisory, x_refsource_MS, Patch, Vendor Advisory, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
  US Government Resource, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• opensources.info/comment-on-the-curious-case-of-a-cve-2012-0158-exploit-by-chris-pierc
  GitHub Security Advisories
• github.com/advisories/GHSA-xc3w-wqx5-qrf9
  GitHub Security Advisories
• www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA12-101A.html
  third-party-advisory, x_refsource_CERT, Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• www.securityfocus.com/bid/52911
  vdb-entry, x_refsource_BID, Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A15462
  vdb-entry, signature, x_refsource_OVAL, Broken Link, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• www.securitytracker.com/id
  vdb-entry, x_refsource_SECTRACK, Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• www.securitytracker.com/id
  vdb-entry, x_refsource_SECTRACK, Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• www.securitytracker.com/id
  vdb-entry, x_refsource_SECTRACK, Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• www.securitytracker.com/id
  vdb-entry, x_refsource_SECTRACK, Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• www.securitytracker.com/id
  vdb-entry, x_refsource_SECTRACK, Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• www.securitytracker.com/id
  vdb-entry, x_refsource_SECTRACK, Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/74372
  vdb-entry, x_refsource_XF, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-0158
  GitHub Security Advisories
• opensources.info/comment-on-the-curious-case-of-a-cve-2012-0158-exploit-by-chris-pierc
  x_refsource_MISC, Broken Link, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Elsewhere on this site

Related CVEs (same products)

• High CVE-2026-70105 Microsoft Word Information Disclosure Vulnerability Aug 20, 2026
• Medium CVE-2026-55054 Microsoft Excel Information Disclosure Vulnerability Jul 14, 2026
• High CVE-2026-47293 Microsoft Office Click-To-Run Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability Jun 9, 2026
• Medium CVE-2026-42832 Microsoft Office Spoofing Vulnerability May 12, 2026
• High CVE-2026-42831 Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerability May 12, 2026
• Medium CVE-2026-40421 Microsoft Word Information Disclosure Vulnerability May 12, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

• No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
• No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
• No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2012-0158 is "Microsoft MSCOMCTL.OCX Remote Code Execution Vulnerability", rated High. It affects Biztalk Server (Microsoft); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 8.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 99.98% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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