dbcve.org
IeApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2003-1027

HIGH · 10.0 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 direct drag and drop behaviors and other mouse click actions to other windows by using method caching (SaveRef) to access the window.moveBy method, which is otherwise inaccessible, as demonstrated by HijackClickV2, a different vulnerability than CVE-2003-0823, aka the "Function Pointer Drag and Drop 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-window drag and drop vulnerability where attackers exploit method caching (SaveRef) to access the normally inaccessible window.moveBy method. This allows remote attackers to hijack drag-and-drop behaviors and direct mouse click actions to other windows, enabling clickjacking-style attacks.

MitigationDiscontinue use of affected Internet Explorer versions immediately; migrate to a supported modern browser. If IE must be used, apply available Microsoft patches and configure security settings to restrict cross-window script interactions.

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/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. Confirm Internet Explorer is installed
    Open Internet Explorer and click Help > About Internet Explorer, or run 'winver' from command prompt to check for Windows components
    Affected if Internet Explorer is present on the system
  2. Determine Internet Explorer version
    In IE, go to Help > About Internet Explorer and note the version number (e.g., 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.5, 6.0) and whether Service Pack 1 is installed
    Affected if Version is 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.5, or 6.0 (including 5.01 through 6 SP1)
  3. Check if cross-window drag and drop is enabled
    In IE, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level and look for 'Allow script-initiated windows without size or position constraints' or similar cross-window scripting options
    Affected if Scripted windows or drag-and-drop operations are permitted in security settings
  4. Verify Windows version supporting this IE version
    Run 'systeminfo' or check Windows version via 'winver' - this vulnerability affects IE on Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
    Affected if Running Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP with the affected IE versions

The system is affected if Internet Explorer version 5.0 through 6.0 (including 5.01, 5.0.1, 5.5) is installed and cross-window scripting features are enabled.

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

Discontinue use of affected Internet Explorer versions immediately; migrate to a supported modern browser. If IE must be used, apply available Microsoft patches and configure security settings to restrict cross-window script interactions.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Internet Explorer 6.0 SP2 or later / Microsoft Edge; or migrate to a modern supported browser

  1. Open Windows Update or Microsoft Update
  2. Install all available cumulative security updates for Internet Explorer
  3. If using Internet Explorer 6.0, verify Service Pack 2 or later is installed
  4. Alternatively, migrate to Microsoft Edge or another modern supported browser
  5. Verify the fix by checking that drag and drop behaviors cannot be redirected to unauthorized windows
Caveat Internet Explorer is deprecated; Microsoft Edge is the recommended replacement. Some legacy ActiveX controls may not work in newer browsers.

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

Fix this in Ie Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.

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-2003-1027 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