Known exploited vulnerability
CVE-2012-1854
The short answer
CVE-2012-1854 affects n/a n/a and is rated high (CVSS 7.8). CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-04-13: attackers are using it, so patch it first.
What it is
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.
Weakness: CWE-426.
Severity
7.8 high
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploited (CISA KEV)
Yes, since Apr 13, 2026
Federal due date Apr 27, 2026
EPSS, next 30 days
21%
Higher than 98% of scored CVEs
How it can be exploited
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
What CISA says to do
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
n/a. NVD's record lists the exact affected versions.
References
- docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2012/ms12-046 MitigationVendor Advisory
- oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A14950 Broken Link
- docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2012/ms12-046 MitigationVendor Advisory
- oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A14950 Broken Link
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/SecurityBulletins/2012/ms12-046 MitigationVendor Advisory
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2012-1854 US Government Resource
Questions
Is CVE-2012-1854 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2012-1854 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-04-13, with a federal remediation due date of 2026-04-27.
How do I fix CVE-2012-1854?
CISA's 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.
From NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS and OSV.dev, checked . Status on NVD: Analyzed. The description is NVD's text, quoted as published.
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