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CH 10 Notes

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3 views10 pages

CH 10 Notes

Uploaded by

kediatrisha13
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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‭What is Shellcode?

‭●‬ S ‭ hellcode is a small piece of code injected by an attacker‬‭into a‬


‭program's memory.‬
‭●‬ ‭Its goal is to‬‭gain control over the system‬‭by exploiting‬‭vulnerabilities in‬
‭the program.‬
‭●‬ ‭Traditionally, shellcode‬‭launches a command-line shell‬‭(hence the name‬
‭"shellcode"), allowing attackers to execute commands with the privileges of‬
‭the compromised program.‬

‭How Does Shellcode Work?‬

‭1.‬ ‭On UNIX systems (like Linux/macOS)‬


‭○‬ ‭Attackers use the‬‭ execve("/bin/sh")‬‭function.‬
‭○‬ ‭This replaces the current program with a shell (like Bash or Sh).‬
‭○‬ ‭The attacker can then execute commands with the privileges of the‬
‭exploited program.‬
‭2.‬ ‭On Windows systems‬
‭○‬ ‭Attackers call the‬‭system("command.exe")‬‭function‬‭(or‬‭cmd.exe‬
‭on newer systems).‬
‭○‬ ‭This launches the Windows command prompt (CMD).‬
‭○‬ ‭The attacker can then run commands on the system.‬
‭Why is Shellcode Dangerous?‬

‭ ‬ I‭t allows an attacker to‬‭fully control‬‭a compromised‬‭system.‬


●
‭●‬ ‭It can be embedded into exploits targeting‬‭buffer‬‭overflow‬
‭vulnerabilities‬‭.‬
‭●‬ ‭If a program does not properly handle memory (e.g., using unsafe‬
gets()‬‭or‬‭
‭functions like‬‭ strcpy()‬ ‭), attackers can inject and execute‬
‭shellcode.‬

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