root@thehacksparrow:~/writeups$ SYSTEM ONLINE
root@sparrow:~/writeups$ cat devel.md
// writeups

Devel

15 Mar 2017 · 8 min read · root access
Devel - maquina de Hack The Box

Executive summary — Devel is an Easy Windows box teaching a classic from HTB's early days: an anonymous FTP server that writes into the same directory IIS serves. Uploading an .aspx webshell over FTP is enough for IIS to execute it, handing us a low-privilege shell (iis apppool\web); from there, an unpatched Windows 7 x86 falls to a 2010 kernel exploit (MS10-015 / CVE-2010-0232, KiTrap0D) straight to SYSTEM. A anonymous FTP → RCE via IIS → limited shell → kernel exploit → SYSTEM path.

PlatformHack The Box
Operating systemWindows
DifficultyEasy
StatusRetired
Target IP10.129.26.240

Attack map

[21/80] nmap  →  FTP and IIS both up on the same host
   │  anonymous login confirms: FTP serves IIS's webroot
   ▼
[FTP]  put shell.aspx  (msfvenom, reverse_tcp)
   │  IIS executes ASP.NET → curl triggers the payload
   ▼
[SHELL]  iis apppool\web  (virtual account, low privilege)
   │  sysinfo: unpatched Windows 7 x86 → local_exploit_suggester
   ▼
[KERNEL]  MS10-015 / CVE-2010-0232 (KiTrap0D, x86 only)
   ▼
[SYSTEM]

1. Reconnaissance

We start with a full TCP port sweep, then a targeted scan with version detection and default scripts against whatever comes up open:

nmap -p- --min-rate=1000 -T4 10.129.26.240
nmap -p21,80 -sC -sV 10.129.26.240
21/tcp  open  ftp   Microsoft ftpd
80/tcp  open  http  Microsoft IIS

Hypothesis: only two ports open — FTP and an IIS — on the same box. That's a classic Easy-lab combination: the file service and the web server often point at the same physical directory. If so, anything we upload via FTP would be exposed (and potentially executed) over HTTP.

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