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).
CVE-2003-0838
- No confirmed exploitation signals yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- —
- EG Score
- 0.0(none)
- EPSS
- 98.3%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
November 17, 2003
Last Modified
June 16, 2026
References (22)
- cve@mitrehttp://lists.grok.org.uk/pipermail/full-disclosure/2003-September/009639.html
- cve@mitrehttp://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=106304733121753&w=2
- cve@mitrehttp://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=106304876523459&w=2
- cve@mitrehttp://marc.info/?l=ntbugtraq&m=106302799428500&w=2
- cve@mitrehttp://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/trojan.qhosts.html
- cve@mitrehttp://www.ntbugtraq.com/default.asp?pid=36&sid=1&A2=ind0310&L=ntbugtraq&F=P&S=&P=2169
- cve@mitrehttp://www.osvdb.org/7872
- cve@mitrehttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/8556
- cve@mitrehttps://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2003/ms03-040
- cve@mitrehttps://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/13314
- cve@mitrehttps://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A204
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://lists.grok.org.uk/pipermail/full-disclosure/2003-September/009639.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=106304733121753&w=2
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=106304876523459&w=2
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://marc.info/?l=ntbugtraq&m=106302799428500&w=2
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 4× in last 7d / 19× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-13 06:07 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-11 08:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-11 08:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-08 15:09 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-02 14:00 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-29 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-29 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-28 04:52 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-23 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-21 01:56 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-17 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-17 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-15 17:43 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-14 23:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-14 23:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-12 23:08 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-11 13:55 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 22:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 13:17 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-08 14:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 22:43 UTCEPSS rescore
Show 27 moreShow fewer
- 2026-06-05 22:43 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 06:07 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-04 13:09 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-02 20:10 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 17:07 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-31 17:07 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-05-31 00:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 00:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-29 13:40 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-29 13:40 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 13:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 07:16 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 07:16 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-24 16:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 22:36 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 11:20 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 11:20 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
Publicly available exploits
(1 reference)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Exploit-DBEDB-23114✓ verifiedFirst seen Sep 7, 2003
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5/6 - Browser Popup Window Object Type Validation
Open source ↗
Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2003-0838?
When was CVE-2003-0838 disclosed?
Is CVE-2003-0838 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2003-0838?
Dependency Blast Radius
Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2003-0838
Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2003-0838?
EchelonGraph automatically scans your cloud infrastructure and maps CVE exposure using blast radius analysis.