[Web] 2020 TSG CTF - Slick logger writeup / time based blind regex injection

slick-logger web 5 solvers

func searchHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
    channelID, ok := r.URL.Query()["channel"]
    if !ok || !validateParameter(channelID[0]) {
        http.Error(w, "channel parameter is required", 400)
        return
    }

    queries, ok := r.URL.Query()["q"]
    if !ok || !validateParameter(queries[0]) {
        http.Error(w, "q parameter is required", 400)
        return
    }

    users := []User{}
    readJSON("/var/lib/data/users.json", &users)

    dir, _ := strconv.Unquote(channelID[0])
    query, _ := strconv.Unquote(queries[0])

    if strings.HasPrefix(dir, "G") {
        http.Error(w, "You cannot view private channels, sorry!", 403)
        return
    }

    re, _ := regexp.Compile("(?i)" + query)

    messages := []Message{}
    filepath.Walk("/var/lib/data/", func(path string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
        if strings.HasPrefix(path, "/var/lib/data/"+dir) && strings.HasSuffix(path, ".json") {
            newMessages := []Message{}
            readJSON(path, &newMessages)
            for _, message := range newMessages {
                if re.MatchString(message.Text) {
                    // Fill in user info
                    for _, user := range users {
                        if user.ID == message.UserID {
                            messages = append(messages, Message{
                                Text:      re.ReplaceAllString(message.Text, "<em>$0</em>"),
                                UserID:    message.UserID,
                                UserName:  user.Name,
                                Icon:      user.Profile.Image,
                                Timestamp: message.Timestamp,
                            })
                            break
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        return nil
    })

    result, _ := json.Marshal(messages)

    w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
    header := w.Header()
    header.Set("Content-type", "application/json")
    fmt.Fprint(w, string(result))
}

in search function, they get input from us, channel and q

but they use specific parameter form like "value", and unquote it.

so if we give """, it is going to blank, we could search like like '%' in mysql db.

(thanks for @Payload at GON)

from now,

filepath.Walk("/var/lib/data/", func(path string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
    if strings.HasPrefix(path, "/var/lib/data/"+dir) && strings.HasSuffix(path, ".json") {
        newMessages := []Message{}
        readJSON(path, &newMessages)

we could get secret channel's admin message,

users := []User{}
readJSON("/var/lib/data/users.json", &users)

...

for _, user := range users {
    if user.ID == message.UserID {

but because of this condition, there is no userid USLACKBOT at users.json

    for _, message := range newMessages {
>>>        if re.MatchString(message.Text) {
            // Fill in user info
            for _, user := range users {

but our searching word, query, is going to argument of regexp.Compile, it is used before userid matching.

so we could give it blind regex injection. (https://portswigger.net/daily-swig/blind-regex-injection-theoretical-exploit-offers-new-way-to-force-web-apps-to-spill-secrets)

as searching words' length is growing, accuracy of blind regex injection decreases.

moderately slice our searching words to get flag!

and accuracy is little bit low, so we send same payload for several time, and get statistics of most delayed word! XD

[*] 5 : 0.06300497055053711
[*] } : 0.062014102935791016
[*] N : 0.05901360511779785
---------------------
[*] } : 0.06202411651611328
[*] 0 : 0.060013771057128906
[*] W : 0.058012962341308594
---------------------
[*] U : 0.09402132034301758
[*] B : 0.0660254955291748
[*] } : 0.06601500511169434
---------------------
[*] } : 0.06301426887512207
[*] Z : 0.06101393699645996
[*] Y : 0.060013532638549805
---------------------
[*] } : 0.06601476669311523
[*] H : 0.06502485275268555
[*] 6 : 0.05902361869812012
---------------------
[Finished in 13.1s]

## this could be `}` is the currect word

check my exploit

https://github.com/JaewookYou/ctf-writeups/blob/master/2020TSGCTF/slick-logger/ex.py