CVE-2012-5379

Exp

Untrusted search path vulnerability in the installation functionality in ActivePython 3.2.2.3, when installed in the top-level C:\ directory, might allow local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse DLL in the C:\Python27 or C:\Python27\Scripts directory, which may be added to the PATH system environment variable by an administrator, as demonstrated by a Trojan horse wlbsctrl.dll file used by the "IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules" system service in Windows Vista SP1, Windows Server 2008 SP2, Windows 7 SP1, and Windows 8 Release Preview. NOTE: CVE disputes this issue because the unsafe PATH is established only by a separate administrative action that is not a default part of the ActivePython installation

Published: 2012-10-11 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2012-5379 is rated High Exploit Risk (67.8/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 1.23%). 2 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

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

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2012-5379

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
28130 exploit_db edb 2013-09-06 Exploit-DB ↗
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2012-5379

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 0.34% 1.23% +0.89%
2 2026-06-12 0.36% 0.34% -0.02%
3 2026-01-20 — 0.36% —

Full EPSS history (9 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2012-5379

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.3 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.3 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
6.0 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:H/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:L)
Requires local access to the target system.
Access complexity (AC:H)
Exploitation requires uncommon or highly specific conditions.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
 1.5 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2012-5379

NVD evaluator notes for CVE-2012-5379

Comment: Per: http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/426.html 'CWE-426 Untrusted Search Path'

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2012-5379

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
activestate activepython 3.2.2.3 cpe:2.3:a:activestate:activepython:3.2.2.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2012-5379

cvelogic Threat Intelligence