CVE-2012-1854

CVE-2012-1854 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Office with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2026-04-13). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-426.

Key facts

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.

Frequently asked questions

What is 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 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.
How severe is CVE-2012-1854?
CVE-2012-1854 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2012-1854 being actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2012-1854 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2026-04-13, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2012-1854?
CVE-2012-1854 primarily affects Microsoft Office. In total, 9 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2012-1854?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2012-1854 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2012-1854 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2012-1864. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2026-04-13).
When was CVE-2012-1854 published?
CVE-2012-1854 was published on 2012-07-10 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (9)

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