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6.1 Overflow1

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57 views

6.1 Overflow1

Uploaded by

coeus koalemos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 27

Buffer Overflow Exploits

http://www.cs.rpi.edu/
~hollingd/netprog/overflow.ppt

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 1


Serious Stuff
• Try a web search for “buffer overflow exploit”

• “Smashing the Stack for Fun and Profit”

• Check alt.2600, rootshell.com, antionline.com – you


can find long lists of exploits based on buffer overflow.

• Even the original version of ssh had a problem! (after


they made a big deal that there were no buffer
overflow problems in their code).

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 2


The Problem
void foo(char *s) {
char buf[10];
strcpy(buf,s);
printf(“buf is %s\n”,s);
}
…
foo(“thisstringistoolongforfoo”);

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 3


Exploitation
• The general idea is to give servers very large
strings that will overflow a buffer.

• For a server with sloppy code – it’s easy to


crash the server by overflowing a buffer (SEGV
typically).

• It’s sometimes possible to actually make the


server do whatever you want (instead of
crashing).
Netprog: Buffer Overflow 4
Background Necessary
• C functions and the stack.
• A little knowledge of assembly/machine
language.
• How system calls are made (at the
machine code level).
• exec() system calls
• How to “guess” some key parameters.
Netprog: Buffer Overflow 5
CPU/OS dependency
• Building an exploit requires knowledge
of the specific CPU and operating
system of the target.
• I’ll just talk about x86 and Linux, but the
methods work for other CPUs and OSs.
• Some details are very different, but the
concepts are the same.

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 6


C Call Stack
• When a function call is made, the return
address is put on the stack.
• Often the values of parameters are put
on the stack.
• Usually the function saves the stack
frame pointer (on the stack).
• Local variables are on the stack.

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 7


Stack Direction
• On Linux (x86) the stack grows from
high addresses to low.

• Pushing something on the stack moves


the Top Of Stack towards the address
0.

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 8


A Stack Frame
high
Parameters
Return Address
Calling Stack Pointer
SP+offset
Local Variables
SP

Addresses

00000000 low
Netprog: Buffer Overflow 9
18
addressof(y=3) return address
Sample saved stack pointer
y
Stack x
buf

x=2; void foo(int j) {


foo(18); int x,y;
y=3; char buf[100];
x=j;
…
}
Netprog: Buffer Overflow 10
“Smashing the Stack”*
• The general idea is to overflow a buffer
so that it overwrites the return address.
• When the function is done it will jump to
whatever address is on the stack.
• We put some code in the buffer and set
the return address to point to it!

*taken from the title of an article in Phrack 49-7

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 11


void foo(char *s) {

Before and After char buf[100];


strcpy(buf,s);
…

address of s address of s
return-address pointer to pgm
saved sp

buf
Small Program

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 12


Issues
• How do we know what value the pointer
should have (the new “return address”).
– It’s the address of the buffer, but how do
we know what address this is?

• How do we build the “small program”


and put it in a string?

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 13


Guessing Addresses
• Typically you need the source code so
you can estimate the address of both
the buffer and the return-address.

• An estimate is often good enough!


(more on this in a bit).

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 14


Building the
small program

• Typically, the small program stuffed in


to the buffer does an exec().

• Sometimes it changes the password db


or other files…

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 15


exec() example
#include <stdio.h>

char *args[] = {"/bin/ls", NULL};

void execls(void) {
execv("/bin/ls",args);
printf(“I’m not printed\n");
}
Netprog: Buffer Overflow 16
Generating a String
• You can take code like the previous
slide, and generate machine language.
• Copy down the individual byte values
and build a string.
• To do a simple exec requires less than
100 bytes.

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 17


A Sample Program/String
• Does an exec() of /bin/ls:

unsigned char cde[] =


"\xeb\x1f\x5e\x89\x76\x08\x31\xc0”
“\x88\x46\x07\x89\x46\x0c\xb0\x0b"
"\x89\xf3\x8d\x4e\x08\x8d\x56\x0c”
“\xcd\x80\x31\xdb\x89\xd8\x40\xcd"
"\x80\xe8\xdc\xff\xff\xff/bin/ls";
Netprog: Buffer Overflow 18
Some important issues
• The small program should be position-
independent – able to run at any
memory location.

• It can’t be too large, or we can’t fit the


program and the new return-address on
the stack!

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 19


Sample Overflow Program
(see other slides on pages 3-5…)

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 20


Attacking a real program
• Recall that the idea is to feed a server a
string that is too big for a buffer.
• This string overflows the buffer and
overwrites the return address on the
stack.
• Assuming we put our small program in
the string, we need to know it’s address.

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 21


NOPs
• Most CPUs have a No-Operation
instruction – it does nothing but
advance the instruction pointer.
• Usually we can put a bunch of these
ahead of our program (in the string).
• As long as the new return-address
points to a NOP we are OK.

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 22


Using NOPs
new return address

Real program
i nt
po ere (exec /bin/ls or whatever)
an h
C yw e
an her
in
nop instructions

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 23


Estimating the stack size
• We can also guess at the location of the
return address relative to the
overflowed buffer.

• Put in a bunch of new return addresses!

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 24


Estimating the Location
new return address
new return address
new return address
new return address
new return address
new return address
Real program

nop instructions

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 25


Other Potential Problems
• Buffer overflow is just the most common
programming problem exploited.

• Integer arithmetic can also be a


problem!
– foo = malloc(num * sizeof(struct blah));

– what if num is 2^32-1? what if num is -1?

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 26


Summary
• Don't use strcpy.
• Check the return value on all calls to library
functions like malloc (as well as all system
calls).
• Don't use multiplication (or addition).
• Might as well not use subtraction or division
either.
• It's probably best to avoid writing programs at
all…

Netprog: Buffer Overflow 27

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