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CVE-2012-2539

From Exploited flaws, HARD’s guide to the flaws being used in attacks · Checked
This article is about a flaw in Microsoft Word. For every flaw being used in attacks, see Exploited flaws; for Microsoft’s, see Microsoft flaws being used in attacks.

CVE-2012-2539 is a security flaw in Microsoft Word, part of Microsoft Office. Attackers can run their own code on Microsoft Word. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 28 Mar 2022.[1]

Microsoft Word is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work. Microsoft has published a fix or advice.

Description

CISA calls it a remote code execution in Microsoft Word. In its words: “Microsoft Word allows attackers to execute remote code or cause a denial-of-service (DoS) via crafted RTF data.”[1]

The CVE record adds: “Microsoft Word 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2 and SP3, and 2010 SP1; Word Viewer; Office Compatibility Pack SP2 and SP3; and Office Web Apps 2010 SP1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via crafted RTF data, aka "Word RTF 'listoverridecount' Remote Code Execution Vulnerability."”[2]

The underlying weakness is CWE-399, in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.

It scores 7.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by the organisation that published the CVE using CVSS 3.1.[2]

Affected versions

NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; Microsoft’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as Microsoft Word.

Every device with Microsoft Word needs the update.

Exploitation

CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 28 Mar 2022, 3,393 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 18 Apr 2022 to fix it.[1]

FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 53%. That’s in the top 2% of the flaws it scores.[4]

CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.

CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.

Fix

Microsoft has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]

  1. Update Microsoft Word now.On Windows: Settings, Windows Update, Check for updates, then restart. Office updates come the same way, or from any Office app: File, Account, Update Options. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
  2. If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.

Timeline

DateEvent
The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 7.8.[2]
CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1]
CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1]
FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 53%.[4]

See also

Other Microsoft Word flaws

Other Microsoft flaws

  • CVE-2026-96951, Microsoft Windows: command injection ·
  • CVE-2026-65660, Microsoft SharePoint: code injection ·
  • CVE-2026-85880, Microsoft Windows: heap-based buffer overflow ·
  • CVE-2026-81963, Microsoft Windows: link following ·
  • CVE-2019-1068, Microsoft SQL Server: remote code execution ·

Similar flaws

  • CVE-2014-0502, Adobe Flash Player: double free vulnerablity ·
  • CVE-2009-4324, Adobe Acrobat and Reader: use-after-free ·
  • CVE-2018-0180, Cisco IOS Software: denial-of-service ·
  • CVE-2018-0179, Cisco IOS Software: denial-of-service ·
  • CVE-2018-0161, Cisco IOS Software: resource management errors ·

Added the same day

  • CVE-2022-1096, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: type confusion ·
  • CVE-2022-0543, Redis Debian-specific Redis Servers: debian-specific redis server lua sandbox escape ·
  • CVE-2021-38646, Microsoft Office: access connectivity engine remote code execution ·
  • CVE-2021-34486, Microsoft Windows: event tracing privilege escalation ·
  • CVE-2021-26085, Atlassian Confluence Server: pre-authorization arbitrary file read ·

Every Microsoft flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in March 2022

References

  1. ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Microsoft Word Remote Code Execution Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 28 Mar 2022.
  2. ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2012-2539 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 12 Dec 2012.
  3. ^ Microsoft. Advisories and fixes: docs.microsoft.com.
  4. ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.530, percentile 99.0, 31 Oct 2026.
  5. CVE Program. “CVE-2012-2539”. The official CVE record.

This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.