CVE-2000-0288 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting the Infonautics getdoc.cgi script, which is used to provide access to documents. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass the payment phase required to access certain documents by manipulating a form variable. Specifically, the script does not properly validate the payment status before granting access, enabling unauthorized users to retrieve documents without completing the required payment process. This vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without any authentication or user interaction, making it relatively easy to exploit. However, it only impacts the integrity of the payment enforcement mechanism and does not affect confidentiality or availability directly. The vulnerability was published in April 2000, and no patches or fixes are available, likely due to the age and obsolescence of the affected software. There are no known exploits in the wild reported for this vulnerability. The CVSS v2 score is 5.0 (medium), reflecting the ease of exploitation and the partial impact on integrity.

For European organizations, the primary impact of this vulnerability would be financial loss due to unauthorized access to paid content or documents. Organizations relying on Infonautics getdoc.cgi or similar legacy document delivery systems that enforce payment via this script could see revenue leakage if attackers exploit this flaw to bypass payment. Additionally, unauthorized access to documents might expose proprietary or sensitive business information, potentially leading to competitive disadvantages or compliance issues. However, since the vulnerability does not affect confidentiality directly and does not disrupt service availability, the operational impact is limited. Given the age of the vulnerability and lack of recent reports, it is unlikely to pose a significant threat to modern European organizations unless they maintain legacy systems still using this software.

Given that no official patches are available, European organizations should consider the following specific mitigation steps: 1) Identify and inventory any legacy systems running Infonautics getdoc.cgi or similar document access scripts. 2) Immediately restrict external network access to these legacy systems using firewalls or network segmentation to prevent remote exploitation. 3) Implement additional access controls or payment verification mechanisms outside of the vulnerable script, such as proxying document requests through a secure gateway that enforces payment validation. 4) If possible, replace or upgrade legacy document delivery systems with modern, actively maintained solutions that include robust payment enforcement and security controls. 5) Monitor logs for unusual access patterns indicative of payment bypass attempts. 6) Educate relevant staff about the risks of legacy system vulnerabilities and the importance of decommissioning outdated software.