This repo is for learning various heap exploitation techniques. We came up with the idea during a hack meeting, and have implemented the following techniques:
| File | Technique | Glibc-Version | Applicable CTF Challenges |
|---|---|---|---|
| first_fit.c | Demonstrating glibc malloc's first-fit behavior. | ||
| fastbin_dup.c | Tricking malloc into returning an already-allocated heap pointer by abusing the fastbin freelist. | ||
| fastbin_dup_into_stack.c | Tricking malloc into returning a nearly-arbitrary pointer by abusing the fastbin freelist. | latest | 9447-search-engine, 0ctf 2017-babyheap |
| fastbin_dup_consolidate.c | Tricking malloc into returning an already-allocated heap pointer by putting a pointer on both fastbin freelist and unsorted bin freelist. | latest | Hitcon 2016 SleepyHolder |
| unsafe_unlink.c | Exploiting free on a corrupted chunk to get arbitrary write. | < 2.26 | HITCON CTF 2014-stkof, Insomni'hack 2017-Wheel of Robots |
| house_of_spirit.c | Frees a fake fastbin chunk to get malloc to return a nearly-arbitrary pointer. | latest | hack.lu CTF 2014-OREO |
| poison_null_byte.c | Exploiting a single null byte overflow. | < 2.26 | PlaidCTF 2015-plaiddb |
| house_of_lore.c | Tricking malloc into returning a nearly-arbitrary pointer by abusing the smallbin freelist. | < 2.26 | |
| overlapping_chunks.c | Exploit the overwrite of a freed chunk size in the unsorted bin in order to make a new allocation overlap with an existing chunk | < 2.26 | hack.lu CTF 2015-bookstore, Nuit du Hack 2016-night-deamonic-heap |
| overlapping_chunks_2.c | Exploit the overwrite of an in use chunk size in order to make a new allocation overlap with an existing chunk | latest | |
| house_of_force.c | Exploiting the Top Chunk (Wilderness) header in order to get malloc to return a nearly-arbitrary pointer | < 2.29 | Boston Key Party 2016-cookbook, BCTF 2016-bcloud |
| unsorted_bin_into_stack.c | Exploiting the overwrite of a freed chunk on unsorted bin freelist to return a nearly-arbitrary pointer. | < 2.26 | |
| unsorted_bin_attack.c | Exploiting the overwrite of a freed chunk on unsorted bin freelist to write a large value into arbitrary address | < 2.26 | 0ctf 2016-zerostorage |
| large_bin_attack.c | Exploiting the overwrite of a freed chunk on large bin freelist to write a large value into arbitrary address | < 2.26 | 0ctf 2018-heapstorm2 |
| house_of_einherjar.c | Exploiting a single null byte overflow to trick malloc into returning a controlled pointer | < 2.26 | Seccon 2016-tinypad |
| house_of_orange.c | Exploiting the Top Chunk (Wilderness) in order to gain arbitrary code execution | < 2.26 | Hitcon 2016 houseoforange |
| tcache_dup.c | Tricking malloc into returning an already-allocated heap pointer by abusing the tcache freelist. | 2.26 - 2.28 | |
| tcache_poisoning.c | Tricking malloc into returning a completely arbitrary pointer by abusing the tcache freelist. | > 2.25 | |
| tcache_house_of_spirit.c | Frees a fake chunk to get malloc to return a nearly-arbitrary pointer. | > 2.25 |
The GnuLibc is under constant development and several of the techniques above have let to consistency checks introduced in the malloc/free logic.
Consequently, these checks regularly break some of the techniques and require adjustments to bypass them (if possible).
We address this issue by keeping multiple versions of the same technique for each Glibc-release that required an adjustment.
The structure is glibc_<version>/technique.c.
Have a good example?
Add it here!
Try to inline the whole technique in a single .c -- it's a lot easier to learn that way.
There are some heap exploitation tools floating around.
jemalloc exploitation framework: https://github.com/CENSUS/shadow
Examine the glibc heap in gdb: https://github.com/cloudburst/libheap
Examine the glibc heap in IDA Pro: https://github.com/danigargu/heap-viewer
A Python based heap playground with good visualization for educational purposes: https://github.com/matrix1001/heapinspect
The malloc_playground.c file given is the source for a program that prompts the user for commands to allocate and free memory interactively.
Some good heap exploitation resources, roughly in order of their publication, are:
- glibc in-depth tutorial (https://heap-exploitation.dhavalkapil.com/) - book and exploit samples
- ptmalloc fanzine, a set of resources and examples related to meta-data attacks on ptmalloc (http://tukan.farm/2016/07/26/ptmalloc-fanzine/)
- A malloc diagram, from libheap (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cloudburst/libheap/master/heap.png)
- Glibc Adventures: The Forgotten Chunk (http://www.contextis.com/documents/120/Glibc_Adventures-The_Forgotten_Chunks.pdf) - advanced heap exploitation
- Pseudomonarchia jemallocum (http://www.phrack.org/issues/68/10.html)
- The House Of Lore: Reloaded (http://phrack.org/issues/67/8.html)
- Malloc Des-Maleficarum (http://phrack.org/issues/66/10.html) - some malloc exploitation techniques
- Yet another free() exploitation technique (http://phrack.org/issues/66/6.html)
- Understanding the heap by breaking it (https://www.blackhat.com/presentations/bh-usa-07/Ferguson/Whitepaper/bh-usa-07-ferguson-WP.pdf) - explains heap implementation and a couple exploits
- The use of set_head to defeat the wilderness (http://phrack.org/issues/64/9.html)
- The Malloc Maleficarum (http://seclists.org/bugtraq/2005/Oct/118)
- OS X heap exploitation techniques (http://phrack.org/issues/63/5.html)
- Exploiting The Wilderness (http://seclists.org/vuln-dev/2004/Feb/25)
- Advanced Doug lea's malloc exploits (http://phrack.org/issues/61/6.html)
- GDB Enhanced Features (GEF) Heap Exploration Tools (https://gef.readthedocs.io/en/latest/commands/heap/)
- Painless intro to the Linux userland heap (https://sensepost.com/blog/2017/painless-intro-to-the-linux-userland-heap/)
There are a couple of "hardening" measures embedded in glibc, like export MALLOC_CHECK_=1 (enables some checks), export MALLOC_PERTURB_=1 (data is overwritten), export MALLOC_MMAP_THRESHOLD_=1 (always use mmap()), ...
More info: mcheck(), mallopt().
There's also some tracing support as mtrace(), malloc_stats(), malloc_info(), memusage, and in other functions in this family.