Windows Gather Applied Patches - Metasploit


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

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Module Overview

Name: Windows Gather Applied Patches
Module: post/windows/gather/enum_patches
Source code: modules/post/windows/gather/enum_patches.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: -

This module will attempt to enumerate which patches are applied to a windows system based on the result of the WMI query: SELECT HotFixID, InstalledOn FROM Win32_QuickFixEngineering.

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/enum_patches

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

This module will attempt to enumerate which patches are applied to a Windows system, as well as on which date they were applied, based on the result of the WMI query SELECT HotFixID, InstalledOn FROM Win32_QuickFixEngineering.

Verification Steps

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

Options

KB

A comma separated list of KB patches to search for. Default is: KB2871997, KB2928120

MSFLOCALS

Search for missing patches for which there is a MSF local module. Default is true.

SESSION

The session to run this module on.

Scenarios

Windows 10 x64 v1909

  msf6 exploit(multi/handler) > use post/windows/gather/enum_patches
  msf6 post(windows/gather/enum_patches) > show options

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

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

  msf6 post(windows/gather/enum_patches) > set SESSION 1
  SESSION => 1
  msf6 post(windows/gather/enum_patches) > run

  [*] Patch list saved to /home/gwillcox/.msf4/loot/20200902125729_default_172.29.215.21_enum_patches_495652.txt
  [+] KB4569751 installed on 8/17/2020
  [+] KB4497165 installed on 8/17/2020
  [+] KB4517245 installed on 4/10/2020
  [+] KB4537759 installed on 4/10/2020
  [+] KB4552152 installed on 4/10/2020
  [+] KB4561600 installed on 8/17/2020
  [+] KB4569073 installed on 8/17/2020
  [+] KB4565351 installed on 8/17/2020
  [*] Post module execution completed
  msf6 post(windows/gather/enum_patches) >

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Msfconsole Usage

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

msf6 > use post/windows/gather/enum_patches

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

       Name: Windows Gather Applied Patches
     Module: post/windows/gather/enum_patches
   Platform: Windows
       Arch: 
       Rank: Normal

Provided by:
  zeroSteiner <[email protected]>
  mubix <[email protected]>

Compatible session types:
  Meterpreter

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

Description:
  This module will attempt to enumerate which patches are applied to a 
  windows system based on the result of the WMI query: SELECT 
  HotFixID, InstalledOn FROM Win32_QuickFixEngineering.

References:
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa394391(v=vs.85).aspx

Module Options

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

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

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

   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/enum_patches post exploitation module:

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

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

   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/enum_patches module can do:

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

Post actions:

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

Evasion Options

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

msf6 post(windows/gather/enum_patches) > 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.

ExtAPI failed to load

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "ExtAPI failed to load" error message:

30:	    )
31:	  end
32:	
33:	  def run
34:	    unless load_extapi
35:	      print_error 'ExtAPI failed to load'
36:	      return
37:	    end
38:	
39:	    begin
40:	      objects = session.extapi.wmi.query("SELECT HotFixID, InstalledOn FROM Win32_QuickFixEngineering")

Known bug in WMI query, try migrating to another process

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Known bug in WMI query, try migrating to another process" error message:

37:	    end
38:	
39:	    begin
40:	      objects = session.extapi.wmi.query("SELECT HotFixID, InstalledOn FROM Win32_QuickFixEngineering")
41:	    rescue RuntimeError
42:	      print_error 'Known bug in WMI query, try migrating to another process'
43:	      return
44:	    end
45:	
46:	    if objects[:values].nil?
47:	      kb_ids = []

Found no patches installed

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Found no patches installed" error message:

48:	    else
49:	      kb_ids = objects[:values].reject(&:nil?).map { |kb| kb }
50:	    end
51:	
52:	    if kb_ids.empty?
53:	      print_status 'Found no patches installed'
54:	      return
55:	    end
56:	
57:	    l = store_loot('enum_patches', 'text/plain', session, kb_ids.join("\n"))
58:	    print_status("Patch list saved to #{l}")

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References

See Also

Check also the following modules related to this module:

Authors

  • zeroSteiner
  • mubix

Version

This page has been produced using Metasploit Framework version 6.1.41-dev. For more modules, visit the Metasploit Module Library.

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