Windows Manage Process Migration - Metasploit


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

Table Of Contents
hide

Module Overview

Name: Windows Manage Process Migration
Module: post/windows/manage/migrate
Source code: modules/post/windows/manage/migrate.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 migrate a Meterpreter session from one process to another. A given process PID to migrate to or the module can spawn one and migrate to that newly spawned process.

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/manage/migrate

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

Go back to menu.

Msfconsole Usage

Here is how the windows/manage/migrate post exploitation module looks in the msfconsole:

msf6 > use post/windows/manage/migrate

msf6 post(windows/manage/migrate) > show info

       Name: Windows Manage Process Migration
     Module: post/windows/manage/migrate
   Platform: Windows
       Arch: 
       Rank: Normal

Provided by:
  Carlos Perez <[email protected]>
  phra <https://iwantmore.pizza>

Compatible session types:
  Meterpreter

Basic options:
  Name       Current Setting  Required  Description
  ----       ---------------  --------  -----------
  KILL       false            no        Kill original process for the session.
  NAME                        no        Name of process to migrate to.
  PID        0                no        PID of process to migrate to.
  PPID       0                no        Process Identifier for PPID spoofing when creating a new process. (0 = no PPID spoofing).
  PPID_NAME                   no        Name of process for PPID spoofing when creating a new process.
  SESSION                     yes       The session to run this module on.
  SPAWN      true             no        Spawn process to migrate to. If set, notepad.exe is used.

Description:
  This module will migrate a Meterpreter session from one process to 
  another. A given process PID to migrate to or the module can spawn 
  one and migrate to that newly spawned process.

Module Options

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

msf6 post(windows/manage/migrate) > show options

Module options (post/windows/manage/migrate):

   Name       Current Setting  Required  Description
   ----       ---------------  --------  -----------
   KILL       false            no        Kill original process for the session.
   NAME                        no        Name of process to migrate to.
   PID        0                no        PID of process to migrate to.
   PPID       0                no        Process Identifier for PPID spoofing when creating a new process. (0 = no PPID spoofing).
   PPID_NAME                   no        Name of process for PPID spoofing when creating a new process.
   SESSION                     yes       The session to run this module on.
   SPAWN      true             no        Spawn process to migrate to. If set, notepad.exe is used.

Advanced Options

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

msf6 post(windows/manage/migrate) > show advanced

Module advanced options (post/windows/manage/migrate):

   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/manage/migrate module can do:

msf6 post(windows/manage/migrate) > show actions

Post actions:

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

Evasion Options

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

msf6 post(windows/manage/migrate) > 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:

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.

Process <TARGET_PID> not found

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Process <TARGET_PID> not found" error message:

56:	    elsif datastore['NAME'] and datastore['NAME'] != ""
57:	      target_pid = session.sys.process[datastore['NAME']]
58:	    end
59:	
60:	    if not target_pid or not has_pid?(target_pid)
61:	      print_error("Process #{target_pid} not found")
62:	      return
63:	    end
64:	
65:	    begin
66:	      print_status("Migrating into #{target_pid}")

Could not migrate into process

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Could not migrate into process" error message:

65:	    begin
66:	      print_status("Migrating into #{target_pid}")
67:	      session.core.migrate(target_pid)
68:	      print_good("Successfully migrated into process #{target_pid}")
69:	    rescue ::Exception => e
70:	      print_error("Could not migrate into process")
71:	      print_error("Exception: #{e.class} : #{e}")
72:	    end
73:	
74:	    if datastore['KILL']
75:	      print_status("Killing original process with PID #{original_pid}")

Exception: <E.CLASS> : <E>

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Exception: <E.CLASS> : <E>" error message:

66:	      print_status("Migrating into #{target_pid}")
67:	      session.core.migrate(target_pid)
68:	      print_good("Successfully migrated into process #{target_pid}")
69:	    rescue ::Exception => e
70:	      print_error("Could not migrate into process")
71:	      print_error("Exception: #{e.class} : #{e}")
72:	    end
73:	
74:	    if datastore['KILL']
75:	      print_status("Killing original process with PID #{original_pid}")
76:	      if has_pid?(original_pid)

PID <ORIGINAL_PID> exited on its own

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "PID <ORIGINAL_PID> exited on its own" error message:

75:	      print_status("Killing original process with PID #{original_pid}")
76:	      if has_pid?(original_pid)
77:	        session.sys.process.kill(original_pid)
78:	        print_good("Successfully killed process with PID #{original_pid}")
79:	      else
80:	        print_warning("PID #{original_pid} exited on its own")
81:	      end
82:	    end
83:	  end
84:	
85:	  # Creates a temp notepad.exe to migrate to depending the architecture.

Process <TARGET_PPID> not found

Here is a relevant code snippet related to the "Process <TARGET_PPID> not found" error message:

88:	    cmd = get_notepad_pathname(client.arch, client.sys.config.getenv('windir'), client.arch)
89:	
90:	    print_status("Spawning notepad.exe process to migrate into")
91:	
92:	    if target_ppid != 0 and not has_pid?(target_ppid)
93:	      print_error("Process #{target_ppid} not found")
94:	      return
95:	    elsif has_pid?(target_ppid)
96:	      print_status("Spoofing PPID #{target_ppid}")
97:	    end
98:

Go back to menu.

Go back to menu.

See Also

Check also the following modules related to this module:

Authors

  • Carlos Perez <carlos_perez[at]darkoperator.com>
  • phra <https://iwantmore.pizza>

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.