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CVE-2018-17182 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel (up to version 4.18.8) within the vmacache_flush_all function in mm/vmacache.c. The vulnerability arises due to improper handling of sequence number overflows, which can be exploited by an attacker through a series of thread creation, memory mapping, unmapping, invalidation, and dereference operations. This can result in the use of freed memory, potentially allowing for privilege escalation.
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1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos (1 hidden).
This repository contains a full local privilege escalation exploit for CVE-2018-17182, a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's VMA cache subsystem. The exploit targets unpatched Linux kernels from version 3.16 up to 4.18.8, with specific testing on Ubuntu 18.04 (kernel 4.15.0-34-generic). The structure includes: - A main exploit orchestrator (puppeteer.c) that coordinates the attack, parses kernel logs, and manages the privilege escalation process. - A low-level payload (puppet.c) that performs memory manipulation and triggers the kernel bug. - A SUID helper (suidhelper.c) that, once made SUID root, spawns a root shell for the attacker. - Helper scripts and kernel module code for debugging and facilitating the exploit (vmacache_helper.c/h, vmacache-debugging.patch). - Compilation scripts (compile.sh) and a test harness (vma_test.c) for PoC and debugging. The exploit works by manipulating kernel memory structures via a use-after-free in the VMA cache, ultimately allowing the attacker to overwrite kernel data and gain root privileges. The process involves creating and manipulating memory mappings, using BPF maps, and monitoring kernel logs for specific warning messages. The exploit is operational and, if successful, results in a root shell on the target system. No network or remote attack vector is present; this is a purely local privilege escalation exploit.
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