Microsoft · Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
CVE-2012-1854
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications Insecure Library Loading Vulnerability
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: Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) contains an insecure library loading vulnerability that could allow for remote code execution.
What to do
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Deadline for US federal agencies: April 27, 2026
More exploited flaws from Microsoft
| Added | Vulnerability | Product | Severity | Attack chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 2026 | Command Injection | Windows | High 8.8 | 9.8% |
| Sep 25, 2026 | Code Injection | SharePoint | High 8.8 | 8.2% |
| Sep 8, 2026 | Link Following | Windows | High 7.8 | 0.4% |
| Sep 8, 2026 | Heap-Based Buffer Overflow | Windows | High 7.8 | 0.4% |
| Aug 26, 2026 | Remote Code Execution | SQL Server | High 8.8 | 57% |
| Aug 18, 2026 | Double Free | Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Service Extensions | Critical 9.8 | 77% |
| Aug 18, 2026 | Weak Authentication | SharePoint | Critical 9.1 | 70% |
| Aug 11, 2026 | Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Use-After-Free | Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock | High 7.0 | 0.3% |
Sources: Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (CISA, public domain), CVE records (cve.org) and EPSS (FIRST). The chance of attacks is the EPSS estimate that someone will try to exploit the flaw in the next 30 days.