September 25, 2014

Remote code execution through bash

Better later than never

Update

The Bash vulnerability that is now known as Shellshock had an incomplete fix at first. There are currently 4 public and one supposedly non-public vulnerability.

Test script for Shellshock and related vulnerabilities

Original

GNU Bash through 4.3 processes trailing strings after function definitions in the values of environment variables, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted environment, as demonstrated by vectors involving the ForceCommand feature in OpenSSH sshd, the mod_cgi and mod_cgid modules in the Apache HTTP Server, scripts executed by unspecified DHCP clients, and other situations in which setting the environment occurs across a privilege boundary from Bash execution.

Vulnerable version of bash

$ env x='() { :;}; echo vulnerable' bash -c "echo this is a test"
vulnerable
this is a test

Patched bash

$ env x='() { :;}; echo vulnerable' bash -c "echo this is a test"
bash: warning: x: ignoring function definition attempt
bash: error importing function definition for `x'
this is a test