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Attack Tree Analysis for protocolbuffers/protobuf

Objective: Compromise Application via Protobuf Exploitation

Attack Tree Visualization

Goal: Compromise Application via Protobuf Exploitation

├── 1. Remote Code Execution (RCE) │ ├── 1.1 Exploit Protobuf Parser Vulnerabilities │ │ ├── 1.1.1 Fuzzing-Discovered Vulnerabilities (e.g., CVEs) │ │ │ ├── 1.1.1.1 Craft Malicious Protobuf Message [CRITICAL] (L/VH/H/E/M) │ │ ├── 1.1.2 Exploit Known Parser Bugs (e.g., in specific versions) │ │ │ ├── 1.1.2.2 Craft Exploit Payload Based on Known Bug [CRITICAL] (M/VH/M/IA/M) │ │ └── 1.1.3 [HIGH RISK] Exploit Deserialization of Untrusted Data │ │ ├── 1.1.3.1 Send malicious message with crafted Any type. [CRITICAL] (M/VH/MH/A/H) │ │ └── 1.1.3.2 Send malicious message with crafted oneof field. [CRITICAL] (M/VH/MH/A/H) │ ├── 1.2 [HIGH RISK] Exploit Application Logic Flaws Related to Protobuf Handling │ │ ├── 1.2.1 Insecure Deserialization to Native Objects (Type Confusion) │ │ │ ├── 1.2.1.1 Craft Message to Trigger Unexpected Type Conversion [CRITICAL] (M/VH/H/E/VH) │ │ ├── 1.2.2 [HIGH RISK] Improper Validation of Deserialized Data │ │ │ ├── 1.2.2.1 Send Message with Valid Protobuf Structure, but Invalid Data [CRITICAL] (H/MH/L/I/M) │ │ └── 1.2.3 Using protoc plugins with vulnerabilities. │ │ └── 1.2.3.2 Craft input that triggers vulnerability in plugin. [CRITICAL] (LM/VH/H/AE/H) │ └── 1.3 Exploit Weaknesses in Custom Protobuf Extensions/Options │ └── 1.3.2 Craft Message to Exploit Extension Vulnerability [CRITICAL] (L/MVH/H/AE/VH) ├── 3. Data Corruption/Manipulation │ └── 3.1.2 [HIGH RISK] Exploit Missing or Weak Field Validation │ ├── 3.1.2.1 Send Message with Invalid Data Types or Values [CRITICAL] (H/LM/L/I/M)

Attack Tree Path: 1.1.1.1 Craft Malicious Protobuf Message [CRITICAL]

  • Description: The attacker crafts a specially designed protobuf message that exploits a 0-day or unpatched vulnerability in the protobuf parser (e.g., a buffer overflow, integer overflow, or other memory corruption issue). This requires deep knowledge of the parser's internals and exploit development techniques.
  • Likelihood: Low (Requires a new or unpatched vulnerability)
  • Impact: Very High (Potential for Remote Code Execution)
  • Effort: High (Significant research and exploit development)
  • Skill Level: Expert
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium (IDS/IPS might detect, but sophisticated exploits could evade)

Attack Tree Path: 1.1.2.2 Craft Exploit Payload Based on Known Bug [CRITICAL]

  • Description: The attacker leverages a known, publicly disclosed vulnerability in a specific version of the protobuf library. They craft a message that triggers this known bug, potentially leading to RCE.
  • Likelihood: Medium (Depends on exploit availability and application patching)
  • Impact: Very High (Potential for Remote Code Execution)
  • Effort: Medium (Depends on exploit availability and complexity)
  • Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium (IDS/IPS signatures may exist)

Attack Tree Path: 1.1.3.1 Send malicious message with crafted Any type. [CRITICAL] [HIGH RISK]

  • Description: The attacker sends a protobuf message containing an Any field. The Any field can hold messages of any type. If the application doesn't properly validate the type and content of the Any field before unpacking it, the attacker can trick the application into deserializing an object of an unexpected type, potentially leading to type confusion and RCE.
  • Likelihood: Medium (Depends on application's use of Any and validation)
  • Impact: Very High (Potential for Remote Code Execution)
  • Effort: Medium to High
  • Skill Level: Advanced
  • Detection Difficulty: Hard (Requires understanding application logic)

Attack Tree Path: 1.1.3.2 Send malicious message with crafted oneof field. [CRITICAL] [HIGH RISK]

  • Description: Similar to the Any exploit, but using the oneof feature. A oneof field allows only one of several fields to be set at a time. If the application logic doesn't correctly handle all possible types within a oneof and performs unsafe operations based on the assumed type, it can lead to type confusion and RCE.
  • Likelihood: Medium (Depends on application's use of oneof and validation)
  • Impact: Very High (Potential for Remote Code Execution)
  • Effort: Medium to High
  • Skill Level: Advanced
  • Detection Difficulty: Hard (Requires understanding application logic)

Attack Tree Path: 1.2.1.1 Craft Message to Trigger Unexpected Type Conversion [CRITICAL] [HIGH RISK]

  • Description: The attacker crafts a protobuf message that, when deserialized, causes the application to perform an unexpected type conversion. This often happens when the application directly maps protobuf fields to native objects without proper type checking or sanitization. Exploiting this requires a deep understanding of the application's object model and how it interacts with the deserialized data.
  • Likelihood: Medium (Depends on application's deserialization logic)
  • Impact: Very High (Potential for Remote Code Execution)
  • Effort: High (Requires deep understanding of application code)
  • Skill Level: Expert
  • Detection Difficulty: Very Hard (Requires code analysis and runtime monitoring)

Attack Tree Path: 1.2.2.1 Send Message with Valid Protobuf Structure, but Invalid Data [CRITICAL] [HIGH RISK]

  • Description: The attacker sends a message that is structurally valid according to the protobuf schema, but contains data that violates the application's business logic or expected constraints (e.g., negative values where only positive are allowed, strings that are too long, or values outside of an expected range). If the application doesn't perform sufficient validation after deserialization, this can lead to various vulnerabilities, including RCE, data corruption, or logic errors.
  • Likelihood: High (Common vulnerability if validation is weak)
  • Impact: Medium to High (Depends on how invalid data is used)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium (Depends on application logging and error handling)

Attack Tree Path: 1.2.3.2 Craft input that triggers vulnerability in plugin. [CRITICAL]

  • Description: The attacker identifies a vulnerability in a protoc plugin used by the application. They then craft a specific input to the protobuf compiler (protoc) that, when processed by the vulnerable plugin, triggers the vulnerability. This could lead to RCE during the code generation phase, potentially compromising the build process itself.
  • Likelihood: Low to Medium (Depends on plugin usage and update practices)
  • Impact: Very High (RCE during code generation)
  • Effort: High
  • Skill Level: Advanced to Expert
  • Detection Difficulty: Hard (Requires analyzing plugin code)

Attack Tree Path: 1.3.2 Craft Message to Exploit Extension Vulnerability [CRITICAL]

  • Description: The attacker targets a custom protobuf extension used by the application. If the extension has security flaws (e.g., improper input validation, unsafe operations), the attacker can craft a message that exploits these flaws. The impact depends on the functionality of the extension.
  • Likelihood: Low (If a vulnerability is found)
  • Impact: Medium to Very High (Depends on the extension's functionality)
  • Effort: High
  • Skill Level: Advanced to Expert
  • Detection Difficulty: Very Hard

Attack Tree Path: 3.1.2.1 Send Message with Invalid Data Types or Values [CRITICAL] [HIGH RISK]

  • Description: The attacker sends a message that contains data that violates the expected data types or values for specific fields, even if the overall protobuf structure is valid. This is similar to 1.2.2.1, but the focus here is on data corruption rather than RCE. If the application doesn't validate the deserialized data, it might process incorrect information, leading to data integrity issues.
  • Likelihood: High (Common vulnerability)
  • Impact: Low to Medium (Depends on how invalid data is used)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium (Depends on application logging and error handling)