CAN Flood - Metasploit


This page contains detailed information about how to use the post/hardware/automotive/can_flood metasploit module. For list of all metasploit modules, visit the Metasploit Module Library.

Table Of Contents
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Module Overview

Name: CAN Flood
Module: post/hardware/automotive/can_flood
Source code: modules/post/hardware/automotive/can_flood.rb
Disclosure date: -
Last modification time: 2019-04-01 12:04:31 +0000
Supported architecture(s): -
Supported platform(s): Hardware
Target service / protocol: -
Target network port(s): -
List of CVEs: -

This module floods a CAN interface with supplied frames.

Module Ranking and Traits

Module Ranking:

  • normal: The exploit is otherwise reliable, but depends on a specific version and can't (or doesn't) reliably autodetect. More information about ranking can be found here.

Basic Usage

There are two ways to execute this post module.

From the Meterpreter prompt

The first is by using the "run" command at the Meterpreter prompt. It allows you to run the post module against that specific session:

meterpreter > run post/hardware/automotive/can_flood

From the msf prompt

The second is by using the "use" command at the msf prompt. You will have to figure out which session ID to set manually. To list all session IDs, you can use the "sessions" command.

msf > use post/hardware/automotive/can_flood
msf post(can_flood) > show options
    ... show and set options ...
msf post(can_flood) > set SESSION session-id
msf post(can_flood) > exploit

If you wish to run the post against all sessions from framework, here is how:

1 - Create the following resource script:


framework.sessions.each_pair do |sid, session|
  run_single("use post/hardware/automotive/can_flood")
  run_single("set SESSION #{sid}")
  run_single("run")
end

2 - At the msf prompt, execute the above resource script:

msf > resource path-to-resource-script

Required Options

  • SESSION: The session to run this module on.

  • CANBUS: CAN interface

Knowledge Base

Introduction

CAN Flood is a post-exploitation module that floods a CAN interface for a number of rounds. Both the interface and the number of rounds are to be provided as inputs. An example list of frames also is part of the inputs, and sources the flooding at each round. The module therefore is general as it is parametric in the frame list.

Verification Steps

First, start up a virtual CAN bus:

  1. sudo modprobe can
  2. sudo modprobe vcan
  3. sudo ip link add dev vcan0 type vcan
  4. sudo ip link set up vcan0

Then do the thing:

  1. Start msfconsole
  2. use auxiliary/server/local_hwbridge
  3. set uripath trycanbus
  4. run
  5. use auxiliary/client/hwbridge/connect
  6. set targeturi trycanbus
  7. run
  8. use post/hardware/automotive/can_flood
  9. set canbus vcan0
  10. set session 1
  11. run

Options

CANBUS Determines which CAN interface to use.

FRAMELIST Path of the file that contains the list of frames. Default is "/usr/share/metasploit-framework/data/wordlists/can_flood_frames.txt".

ROUNDS Number of executed rounds. Default is 200.

SESSION The session to run this module on.

Scenarios

The user must know a list of frames that generate an effect on the car. This is because the module is general as it is parametric in the frame list. You can test the module by setting a virtual CAN interface and then execute the commands, thus obtaining the underlying output:

msf5 > use auxiliary/server/local_hwbridge
msf5 auxiliary(server/local_hwbridge) > run
[*] Auxiliary module running as background job 0.

[*] Using URL: http://0.0.0.0:8080/trycanbus
[*] Local IP: http://10.0.2.15:8080/trycanbus
[*] Server started.
msf5 auxiliary(server/local_hwbridge) > use auxiliary/client/hwbridge/connect
msf5 auxiliary(client/hwbridge/connect) > set targeturi trycanbus
targeturi => trycanbus
msf5 auxiliary(client/hwbridge/connect) > run

[*] Attempting to connect to 127.0.0.1...
[*] Hardware bridge interface session 1 opened (127.0.0.1 -> 127.0.0.1) at 2019-03-20 03:17:55 -0400
[+] HWBridge session established
[*] HW Specialty: {"automotive"=>true}  Capabilities: {"can"=>true, "custom_methods"=>true}
[!] NOTICE:  You are about to leave the matrix.  All actions performed on this hardware bridge
[!]          could have real world consequences.  Use this module in a controlled testing
[!]          environment and with equipment you are authorized to perform testing on.
[*] Auxiliary module execution completed
msf5 auxiliary(client/hwbridge/connect) > use post/hardware/automotive/can_flood 
msf5 post(hardware/automotive/can_flood) > set canbus vcan0
canbus => vcan0
msf5 post(hardware/automotive/can_flood) > set session 1
session => 1
msf5 post(hardware/automotive/can_flood) > run

[*]  -- FLOODING -- 
[*] Post module execution completed

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Msfconsole Usage

Here is how the hardware/automotive/can_flood post exploitation module looks in the msfconsole:

msf6 > use post/hardware/automotive/can_flood

msf6 post(hardware/automotive/can_flood) > show info

       Name: CAN Flood
     Module: post/hardware/automotive/can_flood
   Platform: Hardware
       Arch: 
       Rank: Normal

Provided by:
  Pietro Biondi

Compatible session types:
  Hwbridge

Basic options:
  Name       Current Setting                                                                   Required  Description
  ----       ---------------                                                                   --------  -----------
  CANBUS                                                                                       yes       CAN interface
  FRAMELIST  /opt/metasploit-framework/embedded/framework/data/wordlists/can_flood_frames.txt  yes       Path to frame list file
  ROUNDS     200                                                                               yes       Number of executed rounds
  SESSION                                                                                      yes       The session to run this module on.

Description:
  This module floods a CAN interface with supplied frames.

Module Options

This is a complete list of options available in the hardware/automotive/can_flood post exploitation module:

msf6 post(hardware/automotive/can_flood) > show options

Module options (post/hardware/automotive/can_flood):

   Name       Current Setting                                                                   Required  Description
   ----       ---------------                                                                   --------  -----------
   CANBUS                                                                                       yes       CAN interface
   FRAMELIST  /opt/metasploit-framework/embedded/framework/data/wordlists/can_flood_frames.txt  yes       Path to frame list file
   ROUNDS     200                                                                               yes       Number of executed rounds
   SESSION                                                                                      yes       The session to run this module on.

Advanced Options

Here is a complete list of advanced options supported by the hardware/automotive/can_flood post exploitation module:

msf6 post(hardware/automotive/can_flood) > show advanced

Module advanced options (post/hardware/automotive/can_flood):

   Name       Current Setting  Required  Description
   ----       ---------------  --------  -----------
   VERBOSE    false            no        Enable detailed status messages
   WORKSPACE                   no        Specify the workspace for this module

Post Actions

This is a list of all post exploitation actions which the hardware/automotive/can_flood module can do:

msf6 post(hardware/automotive/can_flood) > show actions

Post actions:

   Name  Description
   ----  -----------

Evasion Options

Here is the full list of possible evasion options supported by the hardware/automotive/can_flood post exploitation module in order to evade defenses (e.g. Antivirus, EDR, Firewall, NIDS etc.):

msf6 post(hardware/automotive/can_flood) > show evasion

Module evasion options:

   Name  Current Setting  Required  Description
   ----  ---------------  --------  -----------

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Error Messages

This module may fail with the following error messages:

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.

Frame list file '<FRAMELIST>' does not exist

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Frame list file '<FRAMELIST>' does not exist" error message:

24:	    ])
25:	  end
26:	
27:	  def run
28:	    unless File.exist?(datastore['FRAMELIST'])
29:	      print_error("Frame list file '#{datastore['FRAMELIST']}' does not exist")
30:	      return
31:	    end
32:	
33:	    vprint_status("Reading frame list file: #{datastore['FRAMELIST']}")
34:	    frames = File.readlines(datastore['FRAMELIST']).map { |line| line.strip.split('+') }

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See Also

Check also the following modules related to this module:

Authors

Pietro Biondi

Version

This page has been produced using Metasploit Framework version 6.1.24-dev. For more modules, visit the Metasploit Module Library.

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