CVE-2003-1175 in Sympoll
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in index.php in Sympoll 1.5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the vo parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/17/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-1175 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Sympoll 1.5 web application, specifically affecting the index.php file. This vulnerability resides in the handling of user input through the vo parameter, which is processed without adequate sanitization or validation mechanisms. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of other users' browsers, potentially compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. The vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a fundamental weakness in web application security that allows malicious input to be interpreted as executable code rather than data.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious payload containing script code and submits it through the vo parameter in the index.php script. When the web application processes this input without proper filtering or encoding, the malicious code becomes embedded within the generated web page and executes in the victim's browser. This type of attack can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, defacement of web content, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic lack of input validation and output encoding practices that are fundamental to preventing XSS attacks according to industry best practices and security frameworks.
The operational impact of CVE-2003-1175 extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to establish persistent access to affected systems through session manipulation or by stealing authentication tokens. This vulnerability particularly affects web applications that rely on user-generated content or interactive features, where proper input sanitization is critical. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires minimal technical expertise to exploit and can affect any user interacting with the vulnerable application. Organizations using Sympoll 1.5 are at risk of data breaches, service disruption, and potential regulatory compliance violations under various security standards including those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate remediation and long-term security improvements. The primary fix involves implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms for all user-supplied data, particularly when it is rendered within web pages. This includes sanitizing the vo parameter through proper HTML entity encoding before processing and ensuring that all dynamic content is properly escaped to prevent script execution. Organizations should also implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to add additional layers of protection against XSS attacks. The remediation process should follow established security practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Secure Coding Practices and the ATT&CK framework's T1059.007 technique for script injection, which emphasizes the importance of input validation and output encoding as core defensive measures against this class of vulnerability. Regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to prevent similar issues from arising in future versions of the application.