CVE-2002-0588 in PVote
Summary
by MITRE
PVote before 1.9 does not authenticate users for restricted operations, which allows remote attackers to add or delete polls by modifying parameters to (1) add.php or (2) del.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0588 affects PVote versions prior to 1.9 and represents a critical authentication bypass flaw that undermines the security of web-based polling systems. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and user authentication mechanisms within the application's core functionality, specifically targeting the add.php and del.php scripts that handle poll creation and deletion operations. The flaw allows malicious actors to exploit parameter manipulation techniques to perform unauthorized administrative actions without proper credentials, fundamentally compromising the integrity and availability of the polling system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the application's failure to validate user privileges before processing restricted operations. When users interact with the add.php or del.php scripts, the system should verify that the requesting user possesses appropriate administrative rights before executing poll creation or deletion commands. However, the vulnerable version of PVote fails to implement proper session management or authentication checks, enabling attackers to manipulate URL parameters or form data to bypass these security controls. This represents a classic example of insufficient authorization validation, which aligns with CWE-285, specifically addressing issues related to improper authorization in web applications. The vulnerability essentially allows for privilege escalation through parameter tampering, where attackers can modify request parameters to assume administrative roles without legitimate access credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, creating a significant risk to the integrity and availability of polling data within the affected system. Remote attackers can exploit this flaw to add malicious polls that may contain inappropriate content or to delete legitimate polls, potentially disrupting service availability and compromising data integrity. This vulnerability directly affects the core functionality of the polling system and could be leveraged to create persistent threats or to manipulate the results of polling activities. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no local access or specialized tools beyond basic web browsing capabilities, making it accessible to a wide range of threat actors. This vulnerability also relates to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers Valid Accounts and T1566 which covers Phishing, as it can be exploited through social engineering to gain access to legitimate user accounts or through direct exploitation of the web application.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-0588 should focus on implementing proper authentication and authorization mechanisms within the affected PVote application. Organizations should immediately upgrade to PVote version 1.9 or later, which includes the necessary security patches to address the authentication bypass vulnerability. Additionally, administrators should implement proper input validation and parameter sanitization for all web application endpoints, particularly those handling sensitive operations. The application should enforce strict session management protocols and implement proper role-based access controls to ensure that only authorized users can perform administrative functions. Security configurations should include monitoring for unauthorized parameter modifications and implementing web application firewalls to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments of their web applications to identify similar authentication bypass vulnerabilities that may exist in other systems. The remediation process should include thorough testing to ensure that the patch does not introduce regressions while maintaining the application's core functionality, and comprehensive logging should be implemented to track all access attempts and administrative operations for audit purposes.