• 👉 Overview
• 👀 What ?
• 🧐 Why ?
• ⛏️ How ?
• ⏳ When ?
• ⚙️ Technical Explanations
• 🖇️ References

👉 Overview

👀 What ?

Bypassing filesystem protections such as read-only, no-exec, and distroless environments is a technique used by attackers to penetrate a system or network. These protections are designed to limit the actions that can be performed on a file or a directory. For instance, read-only prevents modifications, no-exec restricts execution, while distroless environments are minimal operating system images that provide only the essential functionalities, leaving out any unnecessary packages that could pose security risks.

🧐 Why ?

Understanding how these bypass techniques work is crucial in cybersecurity for several reasons. Firstly, it helps in identifying potential vulnerabilities in a system or application. Secondly, it aids in the development of robust security measures against such attacks. Finally, it allows for the timely detection and response to any security breaches.

⛏️ How ?

Exploiting these protections involves a series of steps. Firstly, the attacker identifies a system or application with weak or misconfigured protections. This can be done using various tools or scripts. Once identified, the attacker then uses specially crafted commands or code to bypass the protections and perform unauthorized actions. The specific method of bypassing depends on the type of protection in place and the system or application targeted.

⏳ When ?

Bypassing filesystem protections has been in practice for quite some time. As long as there have been protections, there have also been ways to bypass them. However, the methods and techniques have evolved over time, with attackers continually finding new ways to exploit these protections.

⚙️ Technical Explanations

Technically, bypassing filesystem protections involves manipulating the system or application in a way that it does not enforce the set protections. This can be achieved through various methods. For instance, in the case of read-only protections, an attacker might exploit a vulnerability that allows them to mount the filesystem as read-write instead. For no-exec protections, an attacker could use a technique called return-oriented programming (ROP) to execute their code. In a distroless environment, an attacker could take advantage of the minimalistic nature of the system to perform their actions unnoticed. These bypass techniques often require a deep understanding of the system architecture and the specific protection mechanisms in place.

🖇️ References