Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2012-4969
CVE-2012-4969
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
Microsoft Internet Explorer vulnerability
Microsoft Internet Explorer use-after-free vulnerability allowing remote code execution via crafted websites. Actively exploited in the wild.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A use-after-free flaw in Internet Explorer enables unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by hosting or injecting malicious web content. Active exploitation demonstrates reliable weaponization.
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreReported exploitation
5 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-06-08).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.81716 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: Microsoft, Internet Explorer. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I craft a malicious webpage that triggers a use-after-free condition in Internet Explorer's memory management.
Business
An employee visiting the attacker's site or a compromised legitimate site becomes a direct target for code execution.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I execute arbitrary code within the browser process with the privileges of the logged-in user.
Business
The organization's endpoint is compromised, exposing credentials, intellectual property, and internal systems to lateral movement.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I establish persistence or deploy secondary payloads to maintain access and expand the foothold.
Business
Incident response costs, forensic investigation, and potential regulatory notification obligations escalate significantly.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05