CVE-2003-1181 in Advanced Poll
Summary
by MITRE
Advanced Poll 2.0.2 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via an HTTP request to info.php, which invokes the phpinfo() function.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/28/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-1181 affects Advanced Poll version 2.0.2, a web-based polling application that was widely used for creating and managing online surveys. This security flaw represents a classic information disclosure vulnerability that exposes sensitive system configuration details to unauthorized remote attackers. The vulnerability exists within the application's handling of HTTP requests to a specific file named info.php, which is designed to provide diagnostic information about the PHP environment. When an attacker accesses this endpoint, the application executes the phpinfo() function without any authentication or access control measures, thereby revealing comprehensive details about the server's PHP configuration, installed modules, environment variables, and potentially sensitive system information.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability stems from the application's insecure programming practices that fail to implement proper input validation and access control mechanisms. The phpinfo() function in PHP is designed to display extensive configuration information about the server environment, including PHP version, loaded extensions, configuration settings, environment variables, and potentially sensitive information about the underlying system. In the context of CVE-2003-1181, the absence of authentication checks means that any remote user can access this information simply by making an HTTP request to the info.php endpoint. This flaw aligns with CWE-200, which categorizes improper output filtering as a vulnerability that leads to information exposure, and specifically represents a variant of CWE-489, which deals with remnants of dead code that can lead to unintended information disclosure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information gathering, as the exposed PHP configuration details can significantly aid attackers in planning more sophisticated attacks against the affected system. The information disclosed through phpinfo() includes PHP version numbers, enabled security features, loaded modules such as database extensions or file handling functions, and potentially server configuration parameters that could reveal the underlying operating system or other installed software. This information can be leveraged by attackers to identify potential exploits for other vulnerabilities, determine the appropriate attack vectors, or craft more targeted malware. The vulnerability also violates fundamental security principles outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly under the technique T1212, which involves exploitation of information disclosures in software, and T1083, which covers system information discovery activities that attackers often perform before executing more destructive operations.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations that include removing or securing access to the info.php file, implementing proper authentication mechanisms for any diagnostic endpoints, and conducting comprehensive security reviews of all web applications to identify similar flaws. The recommended approach involves either deleting the vulnerable file entirely from the application installation or implementing access controls that restrict access to authorized administrators only. Additionally, this vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and conducting regular security assessments to identify and remediate information disclosure vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by malicious actors. The incident underscores the critical need for defense-in-depth strategies that include network segmentation, regular security updates, and comprehensive monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts to sensitive system information.