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IeApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2003-1026

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2004-01-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Internet Explorer 5.01 through 6 SP1 allows remote attackers to bypass zone restrictions via a javascript protocol URL in a sub-frame, which is added to the history list and executed in the top window's zone when the history.back (back) function is called, as demonstrated by BackToFramedJpu, aka the "Travel Log Cross Domain Vulnerability."

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Internet Explorer 5.01 through 6 SP1 contains a cross-domain vulnerability in the travel log (history) implementation. A malicious webpage can place a javascript: URL in a sub-frame, which gets added to the history list. When history.back() is called, the javascript executes in the context of the top-level window's security zone, allowing attackers to bypass zone restrictions and run code in a more privileged zone.

MitigationUpgrade to Internet Explorer 6 SP2 or later, or switch to a modern browser such as Microsoft Edge, Firefox, or Chrome. Microsoft released security updates for this vulnerability in MS03-048.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
IeApplication
Affected:= 6.0
Internet ExplorerApplication
Affected:= 5.0= 5.0.1= 5.5= 6.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Internet Explorer installed version
    Open IE, click Help > About Internet Explorer, or type 'winver' in Run dialog to see Windows version, then check IE version via 'iexplore.exe' properties or registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Version
    Affected if Version shows 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.5, 6.0, or 6 SP1 (any version before 6.0 SP2)
  2. Determine if IE is the default browser or in use
    Check default browser settings in Windows Control Panel > Default Programs, or look for iexplore.exe processes on the system
    Affected if Internet Explorer is set as the default browser or is actively used
  3. Identify embedded IE controls
    Review installed applications for components that embed WebBrowser control (shdocvw.dll, mshtml.dll, ieframe.dll), check registry HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\iexplore.exe
    Affected if Applications use embedded Internet Explorer controls for rendering web content
  4. Verify Windows version context
    Type 'winver' in Start > Run to see Windows version; this vulnerability affects Windows 2000, XP, and earlier
    Affected if Running Windows 2000, Windows XP, or older Windows versions with affected IE versions

A system is affected if it runs any version of Internet Explorer 5.0 through 6 SP1 as the primary browser or has applications that embed IE rendering components, since these versions contain the vulnerable travel log implementation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to Internet Explorer 6 SP2 or later, or switch to a modern browser such as Microsoft Edge, Firefox, or Chrome. Microsoft released security updates for this vulnerability in MS03-048.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Internet Explorer 6 SP2 or later / migrate to modern browser (Edge/Chrome/Firefox)

  1. Upgrade to Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later, which includes the security fix for this vulnerability
  2. As an alternative, migrate to a modern browser such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox, as Internet Explorer is deprecated and no longer receives security updates
  3. If migration is not possible, ensure all Windows security updates are installed through Windows Update
Caveat IE 6 is severely outdated and may not be compatible with modern websites; migrating to a modern browser is strongly recommended

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ie Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2003-1026 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data