Cybersecurity Notes
MathematicsCryptography
  • Cybersecurity Notes
  • Binary Exploitation
    • Stack
      • Introduction
      • ret2win
      • De Bruijn Sequences
      • Shellcode
      • NOPs
      • 32- vs 64-bit
      • No eXecute
      • Return-Oriented Programming
        • Calling Conventions
        • Gadgets
        • Exploiting Calling Conventions
        • ret2libc
        • Stack Alignment
      • Format String Bug
      • Stack Canaries
      • PIE
        • Pwntools, PIE and ROP
        • PIE Bypass with Given Leak
        • PIE Bypass
      • ASLR
        • ASLR Bypass with Given Leak
        • PLT and GOT
        • ret2plt ASLR bypass
      • GOT Overwrite
        • Exploiting a GOT overwrite
      • RELRO
      • Reliable Shellcode
        • ROP and Shellcode
        • Using RSP
        • ret2reg
          • Using ret2reg
      • One Gadgets and Malloc Hook
      • Syscalls
        • Exploitation with Syscalls
        • Sigreturn-Oriented Programming (SROP)
          • Using SROP
      • ret2dlresolve
        • Exploitation
      • ret2csu
        • Exploitation
        • CSU Hardening
      • Exploiting over Sockets
        • Exploit
        • Socat
      • Forking Processes
      • Stack Pivoting
        • Exploitation
          • pop rsp
          • leave
    • Heap
      • Introduction to the Heap
      • Chunks
      • Freeing Chunks and the Bins
        • Operations of the Fastbin
        • Operations of the Other Bins
      • Malloc State
      • malloc_consolidate()
      • Heap Overflow
        • heap0
        • heap1
      • Use-After-Free
      • Double-Free
        • Double-Free Protections
        • Double-Free Exploit
      • Unlink Exploit
      • The Tcache
        • Tcache: calloc()
        • Tcache Poisoning
      • Tcache Keys
      • Safe Linking
    • Kernel
      • Introduction
      • Writing a Char Module
        • An Interactive Char Driver
        • Interactivity with IOCTL
      • A Basic Kernel Interaction Challenge
      • Compiling, Customising and booting the Kernel
      • Double-Fetch
        • Double-Fetch without Sleep
      • The Ultimate Aim of Kernel Exploitation - Process Credentials
      • Kernel ROP - ret2usr
      • Debugging a Kernel Module
      • SMEP
        • Kernel ROP - Disabling SMEP
        • Kernel ROP - Privilege Escalation in Kernel Space
      • SMAP
      • modprobe_path
      • KASLR
      • KPTI
    • Browser Exploitation
      • *CTF 2019 - oob-v8
        • The Challenge
      • picoCTF 2021 - Kit Engine
      • picoCTF 2021 - Download Horsepower
  • Reverse Engineering
    • Strings in C++
    • C++ Decompilation Tricks
    • Reverse Engineering ARM
  • Blockchain
    • An Introduction to Blockchain
  • Smart Contracts and Solidity
  • Hosting a Testnet and Deploying a Contract
  • Interacting with Python
  • Writeups
    • Hack The Box
      • Linux Machines
        • Easy
          • Traceback
        • Medium
          • Magic
          • UpDown
        • Hard
          • Intense
      • Challenges
        • Web
          • Looking Glass
          • Sanitize
          • Baby Auth
          • Baby Website Rick
        • Pwn
          • Dream Diary: Chapter 1
            • Unlink Exploit
            • Chunk Overlap
          • Ropme
    • picoGym
      • Cryptography
        • Mod 26
        • Mind Your Ps and Qs
        • Easy Peasy
        • The Numbers
        • New Caesar
        • Mini RSA
        • Dachshund Attacks
        • No Padding, No Problem
        • Easy1
        • 13
        • Caesar
        • Pixelated
        • Basic-Mod1
        • Basic-Mod2
        • Credstuff
        • morse-code
        • rail-fence
        • Substitution0
        • Substitution1
        • Substitution2
        • Transposition-Trial
        • Vigenere
        • HideToSee
    • CTFs
      • Fword CTF 2020
        • Binary Exploitation
          • Molotov
        • Reversing
          • XO
      • X-MAS CTF 2020
        • Pwn
          • Do I Know You?
          • Naughty
        • Web
          • PHP Master
      • HTB CyberSanta 2021
        • Crypto
          • Common Mistake
          • Missing Reindeer
          • Xmas Spirit
          • Meet Me Halfway
  • Miscellaneous
    • pwntools
      • Introduction
      • Processes and Communication
      • Logging and Context
      • Packing
      • ELF
      • ROP
    • scanf Bypasses
    • Challenges in Containers
    • Using Z3
    • Cross-Compiling for arm32
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  • Overview
  • Analysis
  • Exploitation
  • Double-Checking

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  1. Binary Exploitation
  2. Stack

PIE

Position Independent Code

Overview

PIE stands for Position Independent Executable, which means that every time you run the file it gets loaded into a different memory address. This means you cannot hardcode values such as function addresses and gadget locations without finding out where they are.

Analysis

Luckily, this does not mean it's impossible to exploit. PIE executables are based around relative rather than absolute addresses, meaning that while the locations in memory are fairly random the offsets between different parts of the binary remain constant. For example, if you know that the function main is located 0x128 bytes in memory after the base address of the binary, and you somehow find the location of main, you can simply subtract 0x128 from this to get the base address and from the addresses of everything else.

Exploitation

So, all we need to do is find a single address and PIE is bypassed. Where could we leak this address from?

The stack of course!

We know that the return pointer is located on the stack - and much like a canary, we can use format string (or other ways) to read the value off the stack. The value will always be a static offset away from the binary base, enabling us to completely bypass PIE!

Double-Checking

Due to the way PIE randomisation works, the base address of a PIE executable will always end in the hexadecimal characters 000. This is because pages are the things being randomised in memory, which have a standard size of 0x1000. Operating Systems keep track of page tables which point to each section of memory and define the permissions for each section, similar to segmentation.

Checking the base address ends in 000 should probably be the first thing you do if your exploit is not working as you expected.

Last updated 4 years ago

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