CVE-2012-0158

Microsoft MSCOMCTL.OCX: Remote Code Execution

As of , CVE-2012-0158 in Microsoft MSCOMCTL.OCX is on CISA's list of exploited vulnerabilities: CISA listed it on . Our patch-first group: Patch this week.

Exploited
Yes: CISA listed it on 3 November 2021
US federal deadline
3 May 2022181 days after CISA listed it. US federal civilian agencies must fix it by then.
Used in ransomware campaigns
KnownCISA changed it from Unknown to Known on 21 August 2026.
EPSS score
0.99Higher than 99% of the CVEs EPSS scores. EPSS estimates the chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days.
EPSS when listed
Not availableCISA listed it before 4 February 2022, where the EPSS files we read begin.
Public exploit
1 Metasploit module and 1 Exploit-DB entry (1 verified)
Fix
No vendor link in CISA's entry

What CISA says to do

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

CISA's required action

What the flaw is

Microsoft MSCOMCTL.OCX contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for remote code execution, allowing an attacker to take complete control of an affected system under the context of the current user.

CISA's description

The (1) ListView, (2) ListView2, (3) TreeView, and (4) TreeView2 ActiveX controls in MSCOMCTL.OCX in the Common Controls in Microsoft Office 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2 and SP3, and 2010 Gold and SP1; Office 2003 Web Components SP3; SQL Server 2000 SP4, 2005 SP4, and 2008 SP2, SP3, and R2; BizTalk Server 2002 SP1; Commerce Server 2002 SP4, 2007 SP2, and 2009 Gold and R2; Visual FoxPro 8.0 SP1 and 9.0 SP2; and Visual Basic 6.0 Runtime allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted (a) web site, (b) Office document, or (c) .rtf file that triggers "system state" corruption, as exploited in the wild in April 2012, aka "MSCOMCTL.OCX RCE Vulnerability."

The CVE record's description, from microsoft

CVE published
10 April 2012
Assigned by
microsoft
CVSS
8.8 High (CVSS 3.1, from CISA-ADP)
CWE-94
Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
CISA SSVC, exploitation
active
CISA SSVC, automatable
no
CISA SSVC, technical impact
total

Timeline

  1. The CVE record was published.
  2. Exploit-DB published an exploit (EDB-ID 18780).
  3. CISA added it to its list of exploited vulnerabilities.
  4. The US federal deadline to fix it.
  5. CISA changed its entry. Ransomware use: Unknown to Known.

Public exploits

Facts from Metasploit's module list and Exploit-DB's index; we never copy exploit code.

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