Description
AOL versions up to and including 9.5 includes an ActiveX control (Phobos.dll) that exposes a method called Import() via the Phobos.Playlist COM object. This method is vulnerable to a stack-based buffer overflow when provided with an excessively long string argument. Exploitation allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the user, but only when the malicious HTML file is opened locally, due to the control not being marked safe for scripting or initialization. AOL remains an active and supported brand offering services like AOL Mail and AOL Desktop Gold, but the legacy AOL 9.5 desktop software—specifically the version containing the vulnerable Phobos.dll ActiveX control—is long discontinued and no longer maintained.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| AOL | AOL | ≤ 9.5 (Revision 4337.155) | — |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Metasploit 1 module
-
AOL 9.5 Phobos.Playlist Import() Stack-based Buffer Overflow
exploit/windows/fileformat/aol_phobos_bof
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
References
- https://web.archive.org/web/20100804162117/http://www.rec-sec.com/2010/01/25/aol-playlist-class-buffer-overflow/ technical-description exploit
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/master/modules/exploits/windows/fileformat/aol_phobos_bof.rb exploit
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/11204 exploit
- https://www.broadcom.com/support/security-center/attacksignatures/detail?asid=26569 third-party-advisory
- https://www.fortiguard.com/encyclopedia/ips/32026/aol-phobos-dll-activex-control-import-buffer-overflow third-party-advisory
- https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=20354 product
- http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/11190 exploit
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/aol-phobos-playlist-import-stack-based-buffer-overflow third-party-advisory