CVE-2012-1854: Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications Insecure Library Loading Vulnerability

Should you act?

Exploited: patch now if you run it

CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• Yes, if you run Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-04-13, which means there is reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild. US federal agencies must remediate by 2026-04-27; treat that as the outer limit, not the target.
• EPSS 20.9%, percentile 98: FIRST’s model estimates a 20.9% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 98% of all scored CVEs (very high). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Needs local access needed. Lower urgency for most teams unless an attacker could already run code on the machine.

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.

CISA’s summary

Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) contains an insecure library loading vulnerability that could allow for remote code execution.

Weakness type: CWE-426.

Product: Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) · Assigned by: microsoft · Published: 2012-07-10

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: local access needed
• Attack complexity: low
• Privileges required: none (no login)
• User interaction: required (a user must click/open something)
• Scope: unchanged

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: added 2026-04-13; federal due date 2026-04-27. Known ransomware use: Unknown.
• CISA 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.
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 20.87% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 98.

Timeline

• 2012-07-10 — CVE record published by microsoft
• 2026-04-13 — Added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
• 2026-04-14 — CVE record last updated
• 2026-04-27 — CISA remediation deadline for US federal agencies

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vendor and project advisories, patches

1. MS12-046 docs.microsoft.com
2. learn.microsoft.com learn.microsoft.com
3. Listed in CISA KEV notes (learn.microsoft.com) learn.microsoft.com

Vulnerability records

1. CVE.org record CVE-2012-1854 cve.org
2. NVD entry CVE-2012-1854 nvd.nist.gov

Government

1. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog entry cisa.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. TA12-192A us-cert.gov
2. oval:org.mitre.oval:def:14950 oval.cisecurity.org

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