CVE-2003-0750 in PY-Membres
Summary
by MITRE
secure.php in PY-Membres 4.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to bypass authentication by setting the adminpy parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-0750 affects PY-Membres version 4.2 and earlier, representing a critical authentication bypass flaw that enables remote attackers to gain unauthorized administrative access to the system. This vulnerability exists within the secure.php script which is responsible for handling authentication mechanisms within the application. The flaw stems from improper input validation and parameter handling that allows malicious actors to manipulate the adminpy parameter to circumvent the normal authentication process.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of insecure parameter handling where the application fails to properly validate or sanitize user-supplied input. When the adminpy parameter is manipulated by an attacker, the application incorrectly processes this input, leading to a situation where administrative privileges are granted without proper authentication. This represents a fundamental failure in the application's access control mechanisms and violates the principle of least privilege. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285 which addresses improper authorization issues, and specifically relates to CWE-287 which covers authentication bypass through manipulation of authentication tokens or parameters.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe security risk for organizations using affected PY-Membres installations. Remote attackers can exploit this flaw from any location without requiring prior access credentials, making it particularly dangerous as it allows for unauthorized administrative access to user membership databases. The compromised system could be used to modify user accounts, delete membership records, alter system configurations, or potentially serve as a foothold for further attacks within the network infrastructure. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting, as it enables unauthorized access through manipulation of legitimate authentication parameters.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal technical skill and can be accomplished through simple parameter manipulation in HTTP requests, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by attackers with basic web exploitation knowledge. Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including patching to the latest version of PY-Membres, implementing input validation controls, and conducting thorough security audits of all applications handling authentication parameters. Additional protective measures should include network segmentation, monitoring for unusual parameter usage patterns, and implementing proper access controls that do not rely solely on parameter manipulation for privilege enforcement. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper input validation and parameter sanitization in web applications, particularly those handling sensitive authentication mechanisms.