PoC for a NTFS crash that I discovered, in various Windows versions
Type of issue: denial of service. One can generate blue-screen-of-death using a handcrafted NTFS image. This Denial of Service type of attack, can be driven from user mode, limited user account or Administrator. It can even crash the system if it is in locked state.
Reported to Microsoft on July 2017, they did not want to assign CVE for it nor even to write me when/if they will fix it.
To test, write the image: dd.exe if=tinyntfs of=\\.\<usb-drive-letter>: bs=1M count=10
You can download dd from http://www.chrysocome.net/dd
Generally, with autoplay enabled, bsod will follow in seconds when usb stick is inserted. If this doesn't work, crash will occur when files get read. (Try accessing file named '4')
- Windows 7 Enterprise 6.1.7601 SP1, Build 7601 x64
- Windows 10 Pro 10.0.15063, Build 15063 x64
- Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation Insider Preview 10.0.16215, Build 16215 x64
Note: these are the only systems I have tested.
Does not seem to reproduce on my current build: 10.0.16299 Build 16299 x64 (didnt have time to see if it's really fixed)
Hey Marius, Your report requires either physical access or social engineering, and as such, does not meet the bar for servicing down-level (issuing a security patch). [...]
Your attempt to responsibly disclose a potential security issue is appreciated and we hope you continue to do so.
Regards,
Fortunately, this bug can generate a BSOD and nothing more. It cannot be weaponized. Still, in some scenarios, a blue-screen-of-death could be unacceptable.
Microsoft was very responsive regarding my disclosure 1 year ago, but they didn’t issue a security patch.
In some cases it works by only inserting the memory stick, in other cases in works when a program tries to read files from that stick.
This bug apparently is not fixed yet, I can reproduce the crash on a latest Windows 10 build. Anyway, bug was reported almost 1 year ago.
As a security researcher, I think that every vulnerability that requires physical access and/or social engineering is important. I’ve seen and studied malware like FLAME, Stuxnet that may have been spread using physical access (FLAME and Stuxnet contained a 0-day exploit that forced the OS to run malware from a removable drive). We all know the stories Kevin Mitnick taught us regarding social engineering, so yes, these types of bugs are important.
More than that, inserting a memory stick when a computer is in a locked state triggers the execution of a lot of OS code, such as mounting file systems. This could be dangerous if the file system is handcrafted and aimed at exploiting the OS. This behavior should be changed for any operating system.