CVE-2012-0173

The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) implementation in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, R2, and R2 SP1, and Windows 7 Gold and SP1 does not properly process packets in memory, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending crafted RDP packets triggering access to an object that (1) was not properly initialized or (2) is deleted, aka "Remote Desktop Protocol Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-0002.

Published: 2012-06-12 Last update: 2026-04-29 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2012-0173 is rated High Risk (66.2/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 20.93%, 97th percentile). EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2012-0173

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 52.28% 20.93% -31.35%
2 2025-12-28 54.93% 52.28% -2.65%
3 2025-12-27 — 54.93% —

Full EPSS history (19 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2012-0173

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.3 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
 8.6 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2012-0173

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2012-0173

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
microsoft windows_7 — cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_7:*:*:x64:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_7 — cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_7:*:*:x86:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_7 — cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_7:*:sp1:x64:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_7 — cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_7:*:sp1:x86:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_2003 — cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2003:*:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_2008 — cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2008:*:sp2:x64:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_2008 — cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2008:*:sp2:x86:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_2008 — cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2008:-:sp2:itanium:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_2008 r2 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2008:r2:*:itanium:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_2008 r2 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2008:r2:*:x64:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_vista — cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_vista:*:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_xp — cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_xp:*:sp3:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_xp — cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_xp:-:sp2:x64:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2012-0173

cvelogic Threat Intelligence