CVE-2005-1891
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 · uneditedThe GIF parser in ateimg32.dll in AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) 5.9.3797 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a malformed buddy icon that causes an integer underflow in a loop counter variable.
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 confidenceA buffer underflow vulnerability exists in the GIF image parser (ateimg32.dll) of AOL Instant Messenger 5.9.3797 and earlier. When processing a malformed buddy icon GIF file, an integer underflow occurs in a loop counter, causing the application to crash. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable via maliciously crafted buddy icons.
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<= 5.9.3797CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if AOL Instant Messenger is installedLook for AIM installation in typical locations: C:\Program Files\AIM\ or check Add/Remove Programs for AOL Instant Messenger entryAffected if AIM is present on the system at all (any version) - since AIM is discontinued, any installation of the unpatched software indicates potential exposure
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Identify the installed AIM versionRight-click on aim.exe in the AIM installation folder, select Properties, then look at the Version tab. Alternatively, check the version in Add/Remove Programs.Affected if Version is 5.9.3797 or earlier, or if version cannot be determined (indicating an old, unpatched build)
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Locate and examine ateimg32.dllSearch for ateimg32.dll within the AIM installation directory and note its file version properties (right-click, Properties, Version tab)Affected if The DLL exists in the AIM directory - this is the vulnerable component that parses GIF buddy icons
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Determine if buddy icons feature is configuredCheck if AIM has any buddy icons set by looking in the AIM profiles folder (typically in user AppData folder under AOL\Profiles) for .bmp or .ico filesAffected if Buddy icons are in use - the vulnerability is triggered specifically when processing maliciously crafted buddy icon GIF files
A user is affected if AOL Instant Messenger version 5.9.3797 or earlier is installed and the ateimg32.dll component exists, particularly if buddy icons are in use.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataSince AIM is discontinued, the primary mitigation is to identify and remove any remaining AIM installations. If continued use is required, investigate whether third-party patches exist or consider replacing AIM with a supported instant messaging solution.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2005-1891 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2005-1891 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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