CAPEC-10: Buffer Overflow via Environment Variables

Detailed Draft 严重程度: High 攻击可能性: High

CAPEC版本: 3.9

更新日期: 2023-01-24

攻击模式描述

This attack pattern involves causing a buffer overflow through manipulation of environment variables. Once the adversary finds that they can modify an environment variable, they may try to overflow associated buffers. This attack leverages implicit trust often placed in environment variables.

扩展描述

Although the focus of this attack is putting excessive content into an environment variable that is loaded into a buffer, environment variables can be used to assist a classic buffer overflow attack as well. In the case where the buffer used in a traditional buffer overflow attack is not large enough to store the adversary's shell code, they will store the shell code in an environment variable and attempt to return to its address, rather than back into the data they wrote to the buffer.

执行流程

步骤 1 Explore

[Identify target application] The adversary identifies a target application or program to perform the buffer overflow on. In this attack the adversary looks for an application that loads the content of an environment variable into a buffer.

步骤 2 Experiment

[Find injection vector] The adversary identifies an injection vector to deliver the excessive content to the targeted application's buffer.

技术:
  • Change the values of environment variables thought to be used by the application to contain excessive data. If the program is loading the value of the environment variable into a buffer, this could cause a crash and an attack vector will be found.
步骤 3 Experiment

[Craft overflow content] The adversary crafts the content to be injected. If the intent is to simply cause the software to crash, the content need only consist of an excessive quantity of random data. If the intent is to leverage the overflow for execution of arbitrary code, the adversary crafts the payload in such a way that the overwritten return address is replaced with one of the adversary's choosing.

技术:
  • Create malicious shellcode that will execute when the program execution is returned to it.
  • Use a NOP-sled in the overflow content to more easily "slide" into the malicious code. This is done so that the exact return address need not be correct, only in the range of all of the NOPs
步骤 4 Exploit

[Overflow the buffer] Using the injection vector, the adversary injects the crafted overflow content into the buffer.

前提条件

  • The application uses environment variables.
  • An environment variable exposed to the user is vulnerable to a buffer overflow.
  • The vulnerable environment variable uses untrusted data.
  • Tainted data used in the environment variables is not properly validated. For instance boundary checking is not done before copying the input data to a buffer.

所需技能

Low An attacker can simply overflow a buffer by inserting a long string into an attacker-modifiable injection vector. The result can be a DoS.
High Exploiting a buffer overflow to inject malicious code into the stack of a software system or even the heap can require a higher skill level.

后果影响

影响范围: Availability

技术影响: Unreliable Execution

影响范围: Confidentiality Integrity Availability

技术影响: Execute Unauthorized Commands

说明: Run Arbitrary Code

影响范围: Confidentiality

技术影响: Read Data

影响范围: Integrity

技术影响: Modify Data

影响范围: Confidentiality Access Control Authorization

技术影响: Gain Privileges

缓解措施

Do not expose environment variable to the user.

Do not use untrusted data in your environment variables.

Use a language or compiler that performs automatic bounds checking

There are tools such as Sharefuzz [REF-2] which is an environment variable fuzzer for Unix that support loading a shared library. You can use Sharefuzz to determine if you are exposing an environment variable vulnerable to buffer overflow.

分类映射

分类名称 条目ID 条目名称
OWASP Attacks - Buffer Overflow via Environment Variables
关键信息

CAPEC ID: CAPEC-10

抽象级别: Detailed

状态: Draft

典型严重程度: High

攻击可能性: High

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