Buffer overflow/overrun explanation?

Question

In the given url this function is given: http://insecure.org/stf/smashstack.html

void function(int a, int b, int c) {
   char buffer1[5];
   char buffer2[10];
   int *ret;

   ret = buffer1 + 12;
   (*ret) += 8;
}

void main() {
  int x;

  x = 0;
  function(1,2,3);
  x = 1;
  printf("%d\n",x);
}

The corresponding assembly code for main function is:

Dump of assembler code for function main:
0x8000490 <main>:       pushl  %ebp
0x8000491 <main+1>:     movl   %esp,%ebp
0x8000493 <main+3>:     subl   $0x4,%esp
0x8000496 <main+6>:     movl   $0x0,0xfffffffc(%ebp)
0x800049d <main+13>:    pushl  $0x3
0x800049f <main+15>:    pushl  $0x2
0x80004a1 <main+17>:    pushl  $0x1
0x80004a3 <main+19>:    call   0x8000470 <function>
0x80004a8 <main+24>:    addl   $0xc,%esp
0x80004ab <main+27>:    movl   $0x1,0xfffffffc(%ebp)
0x80004b2 <main+34>:    movl   0xfffffffc(%ebp),%eax
0x80004b5 <main+37>:    pushl  %eax
0x80004b6 <main+38>:    pushl  $0x80004f8
0x80004bb <main+43>:    call   0x8000378 <printf>
0x80004c0 <main+48>:    addl   $0x8,%esp
0x80004c3 <main+51>:    movl   %ebp,%esp
0x80004c5 <main+53>:    popl   %ebp
0x80004c6 <main+54>:    ret
0x80004c7 <main+55>:    nop

In the variable ret, they are pointing ret to the address of the next instruction to be run. I cannot understand that just by keeping the next instruction in the ret variable, how is the program going to jump to this next location? I know how buffer overflow works, but by changing the ret variable, how is this doing buffer overflow? Even by considering that this is a dummy program and is just supposed to let us understand how buffer overflow works, changing the ret variable seems wrong.

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 12:28:06Z

Explanation of how this is an example of a buffer overrun:

The local variables of function, including buffer1, are on the stack, along with the return address, which is calculated as being 12 bytes beyond buffer1. This is an example of a buffer overrun because writing to an address 12 bytes beyond buffer1 is writing outside the proper bounds of buffer1. By replacing the return address by a number 8 larger than it was, when function finishes, rather than popping off a return to the statement following the function call as usual (x = 1;, in this case), the return address will be 8 bytes later (at the printf statement, in this case).

Skipping the x = 1; statement is not the buffer overflow -- it's the effect of the buffer overflow which modified the return address.

Note on the calculation of 8 as the proper offset for skipping x = 1; statement:

See also FrankH's careful reevaluation of the calculation of 8 as the proper offset to add to the return address to achieve the intent of skipping x = 1;. His findings contradict the GDB-based analysis of the insecure.org source article. Regardless of this detail, the explanation of how a buffer overrun is used to change the return address remains the same -- it's just a question of what to write into the overrun.

For completeness, here is the GDB-based analysis of the insecure.org source article:

What we have done is add 12 to buffer1[]'s address. This new address is where the return address is stored. We want to skip pass the assignment to the printf call. How did we know to add 8 to the return address? We used a test value first (for example 1), compiled the program, and then started gdb:

[aleph1]$ gdb example3
GDB is free software and you are welcome to distribute copies of it
 under certain conditions; type "show copying" to see the conditions.
There is absolutely no warranty for GDB; type "show warranty" for details.
GDB 4.15 (i586-unknown-linux), Copyright 1995 Free Software Foundation, Inc...
(no debugging symbols found)...
(gdb) disassemble main
Dump of assembler code for function main:
0x8000490 <main>:       pushl  %ebp
0x8000491 <main+1>:     movl   %esp,%ebp
0x8000493 <main+3>:     subl   $0x4,%esp
0x8000496 <main+6>:     movl   $0x0,0xfffffffc(%ebp)
0x800049d <main+13>:    pushl  $0x3
0x800049f <main+15>:    pushl  $0x2
0x80004a1 <main+17>:    pushl  $0x1
0x80004a3 <main+19>:    call   0x8000470 <function>
0x80004a8 <main+24>:    addl   $0xc,%esp
0x80004ab <main+27>:    movl   $0x1,0xfffffffc(%ebp)
0x80004b2 <main+34>:    movl   0xfffffffc(%ebp),%eax
0x80004b5 <main+37>:    pushl  %eax
0x80004b6 <main+38>:    pushl  $0x80004f8
0x80004bb <main+43>:    call   0x8000378 <printf>
0x80004c0 <main+48>:    addl   $0x8,%esp
0x80004c3 <main+51>:    movl   %ebp,%esp
0x80004c5 <main+53>:    popl   %ebp
0x80004c6 <main+54>:    ret
0x80004c7 <main+55>:    nop

We can see that when calling function() the RET will be 0x8004a8, and we want to jump past the assignment at 0x80004ab. The next instruction we want to execute is the at 0x8004b2. A little math tells us the distance is 8 bytes.

A little better math tells us that the distance is 0x8004a8 - 0x8004b2 = 0xA or 10 bytes, not 8 bytes.

FrankH. · Accepted Answer · 2013-10-27 08:12:54Z

1

The layout on the stack is like this (addresses downwards - as stacks grow):

buffer + ...       value found       description
=================================================================================
+24                3                 # from main,     pushl $0x3
+20                2                 # from main,     pushl $0x2
+16                1                 # from main,     pushl $0x1
+12                <main+24>         # from main,     call  0x8000470 <function>
+8                 <frameptr main>   # from function, pushl %ebp
+4  %ebp(function) padding (3 bytes) # ABI - compiler will not _pack_ vars
+0                 buffer[5];
...                buffer1[12];      # might be optimized out (unused)
...                int *ret          # might be optimized out (reg used instead)

The tricky thing is that buffer starts at a four-byte-aligned address even though it's not sized a multiple of four bytes. The "effective size" is eight bytes, so if you add eight bytes to the start of it, you find the saved framepointer, and if you go another four bytes down, the saved return address (which, according to your disassembly, is main+0x24 / 0x80004a8. Adding 8 to that jumps "into the middle" of two intructions, the result is garbage - you're not skipping the x = 1 statement.

answered Oct 27, 2013 at 8:12

FrankH.

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1 Comment

kjhughes Over a year ago

Nice catch. Updated my answer to note the mistake you found. +1

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