CVE-2012-4792
Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 8 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web site that triggers access to an object that (1) was not properly allocated or (2) is deleted, as demonstrated by a CDwnBindInfo object, and exploited in the wild in December 2012.
- CVSS
- 8.8Highscored by CISA
- Exploited in the wild
- Yes, in CISA KEV since 23 Jul 2024CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 13 Aug 2024public exploit code
- EPSS
- 78.8%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 0.5% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
- Fix
- Patch availablesee the advisories in the references
- Published
- 30 Dec 2012analysed here 12 Nov 2026
Do first. The impacted product is end-of-life and should be disconnected if still in use. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)
Summary
Triage
- Attack surface
- Server-side
- Exploitable
- At runtime
- Attack vector
- network
- Weakness
- CWE-416 Use After Free
The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.
Affected products
Products named in our analysis
- microsoft:internet_explorer
Fix and mitigation
WAF and other mitigations
Can a WAF block it? No. The attack is triggered by visiting a crafted website, which means the malicious input is delivered via normal HTTP requests. The exploit involves use-after-free in browser objects, which looks like normal web content to a firewall and cannot be reliably distinguished from legitimate traffic.
Also consider: patch
Based on an AI reading of the CVE description, and no vendor rule found yet. We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Remediation steps (AI-written)
Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
Exploitation evidence
- CISA KEV catalog
- Listed since 23 Jul 2024.
- CISA due date
- 13 Aug 2024, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- CISA required action
- The impacted product is end-of-life and should be disconnected if still in use.
- Public exploit code
- Yes: 2 on Exploit-DB · 1 Metasploit module · 1 GitHub proof of concept
- CISA SSVC
- exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 23 Jul 2024 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.
Exploit-DB
- Microsoft Internet Explorer - CButton Object Use-After-Free (Metasploit)remote, 2 Jan 2013, verified by Exploit-DB
- Microsoft Internet Explorer - CDwnBindInfo Object Use-After-Free (Metasploit)remote, 31 Dec 2012, verified by Exploit-DB
Metasploit
- exploit/windows/browser/ie_cbutton_uafexploit, rank normal
GitHub proofs of concept
- WizardVan/CVE-2012-47920 stars
Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.
Timeline
- 30 Dec 2012Published
- 31 Dec 2012First public exploit or proof of conceptsame day later
- 23 Jul 2024Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)4,222 days (about 12 years) later
- 23 Jul 2024CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation activesame day later
- 13 Aug 2024CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)21 days later
- 22 Oct 2025CVE record last updated435 days (about 1 year) later
- 12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com386 days (about 1 year) later
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | NetworkReachable over the internet or any routable network. | Reachable over the internet or any routable network. |
| Attack complexity | LowRepeatable attack, no special conditions. | Repeatable attack, no special conditions. |
| Privileges required | NoneThe attacker needs no prior access. | The attacker needs no prior access. |
| User interaction | RequiredA victim must click, open or otherwise cooperate. | A victim must click, open or otherwise cooperate. |
| Scope | UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component. | Impact stays within the vulnerable component. |
| Confidentiality | HighTotal data disclosure possible. | Total data disclosure possible. |
| Integrity | HighComplete modification possible. | Complete modification possible. |
| Availability | HighFull outage possible. | Full outage possible. |
Common questions
Is CVE-2012-4792 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2012-4792 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2012-4792?
CVE-2012-4792 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2012-4792?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2012-4792. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2012-4792 affect?
CVE-2012-4792 affects microsoft:internet_explorer. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
References
14 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.
Advisories (4)
- us-cert.gov /cas/techalerts/TA13-008A.html
- docs.microsoft.com /en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2013/ms13-008
- kb.cert.org /vuls/id/154201
- us-cert.gov /cas/techalerts/TA13-015A.html
Other links (10)
- github.com /rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/windows/browser/ie_cbu
- labs.alienvault.com /labs/index.php/2012/just-another-water-hole-campaign-using-an-internet-explorer
- packetstormsecurity.com /files/119168/Microsoft-Internet-Explorer-CDwnBindInfo-Object-Use-After-Free.htm
- eromang.zataz.com /2012/12/29/attack-and-ie-0day-informations-used-against-council-on-foreign-rela
- oval.cisecurity.org /repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A16361
- blog.fireeye.com /research/2012/12/council-foreign-relations-water-hole-attack-details.html
Show 4 more
- blogs.technet.com /b/srd/archive/2012/12/29/new-vulnerability-affecting-internet-explorer-8-users.
- technet.microsoft.com /security/advisory/2794220
- blogs.technet.com /b/srd/archive/2012/12/31/microsoft-quot-fix-it-quot-available-for-internet-expl
- cisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2012-4792
Where the data on this page comes from
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- Exploit-DB: published exploits
- Metasploit Framework: exploit and scanner modules
- PoC-in-GitHub: GitHub repositories that claim a proof of concept
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.
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