Top 10 winner

ActiveX Repurposing

Owning the Client without an Exploit

dean de beer · blog.carnal0wnage.com · 27 August 2008

JavaScript uses the RDS.DataSpace ActiveX control to instantiate XMLHTTP, ADODB.Stream and Shell.Application, download an executable, save it to disk and run it. The author reports different IE6 and IE7 prompting behavior and confirms intentional omissions in the listing; comments discuss XP service-pack compatibility.

Record

Document

Owning the Client without an Exploit

Researcher

dean de beer

Published by

blog.carnal0wnage.com

Date

27 August 2008

Topic

Other

In the archive

• Ranked #9 in the 2008 Top 10 Web Hacking Techniques

Related sources

• SensePost blog post
• SSL VPNs might not be as secure as you think

Tags

• activex
• javascript
• rce
• phishing
• filter-bypass
• abuse-of-functionality
• owasp-a04-2021
• owasp-a05-2021

This page is the archive's own catalogue record. The research is the work of dean de beer, first published at the original source. Preserved copies are kept so the citation survives its host; this one was last captured on 10 September 2026.