Windows Vista Security

User Mode Security User Account Protection (UAP)

Mandatory Integrity Control(MIC) UI Privlilege Isolation (UIPI) Restricted Process

Unrestricted Process (Elevation) Standard methods The Legacy Shell Trick Consent Prompts and Admin Brokers

Service Isolation File and Registry Virtualization

Registry Virtualization File Virtualization Low Rights IE Virtualization

Possible Attacks

User Account Protection (UAP) Limited User Accounts

Standard user accounts preferred Problem: software isn’t always written for

“Standard” user accounts Administrators start as “Protected”

Runs programs with minimal privileges Must authenticate protected actions Can run programs unrestricted

“Unprotected”

Mandatory Integrity Control(MIC) Every “securable object” has an Integrity Children inherit integrity parents Interactions exist at equal or lesser

integrity Higher integrity can act on lower through certain

functions Any interaction allowed through IPC (BAD) Lower Integrity server can impersonate higher

integrity. (ImpersonateNamedPipeClient)

Mandatory Integrity Control LevelsIntegrity Access Level System PrivilegesHigh Administrative (can install files

to the Program Files folder and write to sensitive registry areas like HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE)

Medium User (can create and modify files in the user's Documents folder and write to user-specific areas of the registry, such as HKEY_CURRENT_USER)

Low Untrusted (can only write to low integrity locations, such as the Temporary Internet Files\Low folder or the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\LowRegistry key)

UI Privilege Isolation (UIPI) Added to prevent Shatter attacks

LI process can’t send messages to a HI Process SendMessage PostMessage

LI process can’t hook into a HI process SetWindowsHookEx SetWinEventHook

Restricted Process How is it restricted

Security token normally has all privileges Some are disabled (Ignored during permission

checks) Process can re-enable them

Security token created with less privileges (CreateRestrictedToken) Some privileges removed Some privileges marked deny only

“Group used for deny only” Explicit denials for group propagate Explicit allows do not

Unrestricted Process (Elevation)

Process are run elevated when Process is a .msi or .exe and a registered

installer Process exists in app compatibility database

Proper registry with entry value RUNASADMIN <application_name>.sbd created by

CompatAdmin.exe Aplication Manifest (<appname>.exe.manifest)

contains requestedExecutionLevel of requireAdministrator

User right clicks executable and clicks “Run Elevated…” from explorer

Executed by an already privileged process

The Legacy Shell Trick Kill explorer from taskmanager.exe and

restart it with file->new task New shell running with highest integrity

Why does this work? WinLogon.exe handles Secure Attention

Sequence (ctrl+alt+delete and ctrl+shift+esc) taskmanager started this way is created with

high integrity File->new task creates a process with

CreateProcess instead of CreateRestrictedProcess

Fixed in later builds of Vista

Consent Prompts and Admin Brokers Windows Explorer can’t launch unrestricted

apps on its own Restricted Token Medium Integrity

AppInfo Admin Broker service (runs as LocalSystem)

RunAsAdminProcess consent.exe run by AppInfo

Creates process ImpersonateLoggedOnUser CreateProcessAsUser (not CreateProcess)

Security TokenUser In

Administrators Group Local

SecurityAuthority

StandardUser

Token

Full Access Consent

AdministratorCredentialsUser In

Users Group

Login

Login StandardUser

Token

FullAdministrator

Token

Service Isolation Services use to exist in the same session Vista Services run in “Isolated Session 0”

Services can’t open dialogs on desktop Neither can services marked interactive

Dialogs from interactive services are actually a Terminal Service Context

Consent Prompts? AppInfo runs consent in the user’s desktop

session with CreateProcessAsUser

File and Registry Virtualization Why?

Developers don’t code applications properly

Assume the need for admin privileges Need to provide backwards compatibility Need to provide separation and safety

Registry Virtualization Implemented by kernel Write attempts to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\

Software redirected to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\VirtualStore\MACHINE\Software

Provides per-user settings in apps that used registry for storage.

Provides isolation between users.

File Virtualization Implemented as a FS filter driver (luafv.sys) Example: Program files

Foo writes to c:\Program Files\foo\foo.ini Foo is running as unprivileged and fails Filter driver maps c:\Program Files\foo\foo.ini to per-

user virtualized area. %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\C\

Progra~1\foo contains user-specific copy of foo.ini Certain executable types not virtualized (cmd, bat,

exe, dll, etc..) Provides isolation Provides per-user settings (in certain cases)

Low Rights IE Virtualization Virtualization not done by Filter

Driver, done by AppCompat shim dll Why?

Low integrity process can’t even write to the virtualized areas

Uses special broker applications for tasks

Low Rights IE Virtualization Components User runs IEUser.exe (Med integrity) IEUser.exe spawns IExplorer.exe

(Low Integrity) Any admin level requests handled by

IEInstall.exe

Ex-Possible Attacks Low Integrity – IE Approach Medium Integrity

Method 1 – Slight of Hand/Bait and switch

Method 2 – Slight of Hand/Bait and switch

Low integrity – IE Approach Unknown IE Exploit allows injection of

arbitrary code Code is run at low integrity Low integrity code can loopback on

localhost (gains default med integrity) Code can now insert files into the

filesystem eg. Virtualized start menu startup folder

No longer valid as of Beta 2

Medium Integrity - Method 1 User expects consent prompt

User is slow User clicks through

Malicious app checks for all instances of consent.exe

If called on behalf of spoof target copy our bad version over the good one

Medium Integrity - Method 2 Global COM Objects

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\CLSID

User Specific COM Objects HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID

User objects have prescient over system Enumerate system COM objects Create paths to malicious versions in

current_user No longer valid, only local_machine keys

are referred to for elevation

Kernel Mode Security Booting Vista Driver Signing Patch Guard Secure Bootup Restricted user-mode access to \

Device\PhysicalMemory

Booting Vista (Stage 1) Locates and runs bootmgr for legacy PC/AT Bios and

bootmgr.efi for an efi system “The Vista Boot Manager calls InitializeLibrary,

which in turn calls BlpArchInitialize (GDT, IDT, etc.), … BlpTpmInitialize (TPM), BlpIoInitialize (file systems), … BlBdInitialize (debugging), BlDisplayInitialize, …“

Boot.init replaced with BCD file Selects boot description and runs

BlImageLoadBootApplication Calls BlFveSecureBootUnlockBootDevice and

BlFveSecureBootCheckpointBootApp if Full Volume Encryption is enabled.

Booting Vista (Stage 2) WINLOAD.EXE replaces NTLDR.EXE as

the os loader Performs many of the same tasks as

bootmgr Discovers disks and loads the hive Loads OS Signed catalog

Booting Vista (Stage 2) cont. Verifies its own integrity and that of other

system files Does not boot if they don’t match Will however boot if a debugger is attached

except on certain key files Loads appropriate driver for debugging

Usb Firewire Serial

Loads remaining drivers in order from the hive

Booting Vista (Stage 3) Loads NTOSKRNL.EXE

Responsible for code verification of system drivers

Runtime checks (PatchGuard and CI.DLL)

Driver Signing Windows Vista 64-bit edition only All Kernel mode drivers must have a

class 3 cert Justification:

Stability – less hackish code in kernel Security – Prevents root kits

Ulterior Motives: DRM protection

Driver Signing (Implementation) WINLOAD.EXE - Boot driver checks NTOSKRNL.EXE – All other driver (uses

CI.DLL) Functions

MinCrypL_CheckSignedFile MinCrypL_CheckImageHash MinCryptK_FindPageHashesInCatalog

Driver Signing (Implementation) MinCrypL_CheckSignedFile

Used by WINLOAD.EXE and CI.DLL Parses certificate to check validity Checks certificate against a root certificate

Hard coded list of 8 certificates in binary Adding certificates to system certificates

doesn’t add to this list. If certificate is signed by a root authority

validate it Parse public key info/RSA Public Key Convert the key to a “Safe” public key Verify signing according to PKCS1

Driver Signing (Implementation) MinCrypL_CheckImageHash

Used by WINLOAD.exe Verifies driver matches images in the signed

catalog Walks linked list of catalogs pointed to by

g_CatalogList calling I_CheckImageHashInCatalog on each

MinCryptK_FindPageHashesInCatalog Used by CI.DLL Checks code pages of process or driver at

runtime. Binary searches for matching page hash in

ntpe.cat nt5.cat

Patch Guard Can not be disabled Polls at 5-10 minute intervals to verify

kernel structures are intact SSDT (System Service Descriptor Table) GDT (Global Descriptor Table) IDT (Interrupt Descriptor Table) System images (ntoskrnl.exe, ndis.sys,

hal.dll) Processor MSRs (syscall)

Patch Guard (Implementation) Uses Obfuscation and Misdirection

“raise the bar” Example:

Initialization nt!KiDivide6432 (What does it do?)

Throws divide processor exception Patch Guard Initialization called in

exception handler

Patch Guard (Implementation) Initialization

Creates random key Creates random rotate number Picks a fake memory pool tag

Initializes memory Zeroes it Fills it with structures Encrypts structures in memory

Patch Guard (Attacks) Exception Handler Hooking – Verification

relies on exceptions, hook the exception and turn it into a nop

KeBugCheckEX Hook – When called check if bug check code is 0x109 if so reset stack pointer and instruction pointer to the thread and carry on

Finding the timer – Find the timer event and remove it. Not reliable and not portable since it uses an unexported address

Simulating Hotpatching – Use the Hotpatch api to trick windows

Secure Bootup TPM Holds key used for full drive encryption Takes measurments of boot items such as

ROM images and firmware images Special boot code in TPM decrypts the boot

loader Boot loader asks for full drive encryption

key from TPM Boots the same as detailed in Booting Vista

Disabled user-mode access to \Device\PhysicalMemory Started with Windows Server 2003

SP1 Crazylord (p59-0x10) – showed a

method for detecting bios root kits using \Device\PhysicalMemory

The End

Frame-Based Exception Handlers Every thread in a Win32 Process has at

least one frame-based exception handler. A list of EXCEPTION_REGISTRATION

structures can be found in the process’s Thread Environment Block at FS: [0]

Overwrite the exception handler with an address which will

pop regpop regret

Determining a valid handler Handler can not exist on the stack

(determined by TEB FS:[4] FS[8]) Checked against loaded modules

If the address exists outside of the bounds of these addresses it is ok to call?

If the address exists inside these it is checked against registered handlers.

Checks a value in the PE header if it is set to 0x04 then the module is not allowed.

Finally checks for a Load Configuration Directory if missing function returns 0 and no other checks are done and handler is executed

Exploiting Frame-Based Exception Handling (Window 2003 Server) Methods

Exploit an existing handler that we can manipulate to get us back into our buffer

Find a block of code in an address not associated with a module that will get us back to our buffer

Find a block of code in the address space of a module that does not have a Load Configuration Directory

Exploiting an Existing Handler NTDLL contains several registered

exception handlers Only works the first time since

sensitive data is in predictable places77F45A3F mov ebx,dword ptr [ebp+0Ch]..77F45A61 mov esi, dword ptr [ebx+0Ch]77F45A64 mov edi, dword ptr [ebx+8]..77F45A75 lea ecx, [esi+esi*2]77F45A78 mov eax, dword ptr [edi+ecx*4+4]..77F45A64 call eax

Finding and exploiting a block of code not associated with a module Windows 2003 Server Enterprise

edition contains such an address at 0x7FFC0AC5. (pop pop ret)

Not usable since Standard addition does not have the same issue

However we can use the address of our EXCEPTION_REGISTRATION struct in the form of a call or jump esp+somevalue

Stack Protection and Windows 2003 Server Security Cookies

Authoritative copy stored in the .data segment

/GS Compiler Flag Reorders parameters Places overflowable buffers close to

canary values

Heap Based Buffer Overflows Handle to Win32 Heap through

GetProcessHeap() and through the PEB HeapAllocate – Win32 version of brk and

brk. Every heap starts with a struct and contains

pointers to the previous and next blocks (similar to malloc).

Use Exception Handlers to overwrite functions such as RtlAccquitePebLock() and RtlReleasePebLock() (Not Usable in Win2k3Server)

Heap Overflow Fun The PEB in a process is fixed across all

WinNT Versions. Step1: Overflow heap to overwrite the PEB

+ 4 (Return address). Step2: Allow Program to segfault and

terminate. Step3: Sit back and watch ExitProcess run

your code for you. Make sure to set the pointer back or something

else could kill your process if its used elsewhere in the code

Vectored Handlers Similar in structure to Frame based

exception handlers. Stored on the heap instead of stack Executed before frame based

handlers.

Overwritting Exception Filters Overwrite pointer to Unhandled

Exception Filter. Windows exposes a function to do this

SetUnhandledExceptionFilter(). This function shows us where this

Handler is stored. By replacing the address of the function

this points to when an unhandled exception happens we gain control.

Other Aspects of Heap-Based Overflows COM Objects and the Heap

COM Objects when instantiated are placed on the heap

A vtable is created to store function pointers for an object and the object is stored above it in the address space

If you overflow an object you can possibly overwrite the vtable of the object above you and redirect code execution.

Overflowing Program Control Data We don’t always want to execute arbitrary code Some times we just want to change data on the heap

that controls the execution flow. Ex. Making a directory exposed by a web server

writable so anyone can write to it.