CVEs / CVE-2012-4792

CVE-2012-4792: Microsoft Internet Explorer Use-After-Free Vulnerability

• Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 23 Jul 2024
• high 8.8 CVSS 3.1 (NVD)
• EPSS 78.8% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
• Last changed at its sources 16 Jun 2026

Summary

Microsoft Internet Explorer contains a use-after-free vulnerability that allows a remote attacker 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.

Description

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.

Affected and fixed versions

Exploitation

Severity

References

• CVE-2012-4792 on NVD
• CVE-2012-4792 in the CISA KEV catalog
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/internet-explorer-11 (cited by CISA)
• http://blog.fireeye.com/research/2012/12/council-foreign-relations-water-hole-attack-details.html Broken Link
• http://blogs.technet.com/b/srd/archive/2012/12/29/new-vulnerability-affecting-internet-explorer-8-users.aspx Broken Link
• http://blogs.technet.com/b/srd/archive/2012/12/31/microsoft-quot-fix-it-quot-available-for-internet-explorer-6-7-and-8.aspx Broken Link
• http://eromang.zataz.com/2012/12/29/attack-and-ie-0day-informations-used-against-council-on-foreign-relations/ Third Party Advisory
• http://labs.alienvault.com/labs/index.php/2012/just-another-water-hole-campaign-using-an-internet-explorer-0day/ Broken Link
• http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/119168/Microsoft-Internet-Explorer-CDwnBindInfo-Object-Use-After-Free.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
• http://technet.microsoft.com/security/advisory/2794220 Patch, Vendor Advisory
• http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/154201 Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
• http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA13-008A.html Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
• http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA13-015A.html Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2013/ms13-008 Patch, Vendor Advisory
• https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/windows/browser/ie_cbutton_uaf.rb Third Party Advisory
• https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A16361 Broken Link
• https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2012-4792 US Government Resource