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Capec-9 Detail

Buffer Overflow in Local Command-Line Utilities

Detailed Software Likelihood: High Typical Severity: High

Parents: 100

Threats: T62

Description

This attack targets command-line utilities available in a number of shells. An adversary can leverage a vulnerability found in a command-line utility to escalate privilege to root.

Not present

Explore

  1. Identify target system: The adversary first finds a target system that they want to gain elevated priveleges on. This could be a system they already have some level of access to or a system that they will gain unauthorized access at a lower privelege using some other means.

  2. Find injection vector: The adversary identifies command line utilities exposed by the target host that contain buffer overflow vulnerabilites. The adversary likely knows which utilities have these vulnerabilities and what the effected versions are, so they will also obtain version numbers for these utilities.

Experiment

  1. Craft overflow command: Once the adversary has found a vulnerable utility, they will use their knownledge of the vulnerabilty to create the command that will exploit the buffer overflow.

Exploit

  1. Overflow the buffer: Using the injection vector, the adversary executes the crafted command, gaining elevated priveleges on the machine.

  1. The target host exposes a command-line utility to the user.
  2. The command-line utility exposed by the target host has a buffer overflow vulnerability that can be exploited.

Not present

Low High
An adversary can simply overflow a buffer by inserting a long string into an adversary-modifiable injection vector. The result can be a DoS.
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.
Integrity Availability Authorization Access Control Confidentiality
Execute Unauthorized Commands (Run Arbitrary Code) Execute Unauthorized Commands (Run Arbitrary Code) Gain Privileges Gain Privileges Gain Privileges
Modify Data Unreliable Execution Execute Unauthorized Commands (Run Arbitrary Code)
Read Data
  1. Attack Example: HPUX passwd A buffer overflow in the HPUX passwd command allows local users to gain root privileges via a command-line option. Attack Example: Solaris getopt A buffer overflow in Solaris's getopt command (found in libc) allows local users to gain root privileges via a long argv[0].

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