Skip to content

Zip Slip

The vulnerability is exploited using a specially crafted archive that holds directory traversal filenames (e.g. ../../shell.php). The Zip Slip vulnerability can affect numerous archive formats, including tar, jar, war, cpio, apk, rar and 7z. The attacker can then overwrite executable files and either invoke them remotely or wait for the system or user to call them, thus achieving remote command execution on the victim’s machine.

Summary

Tools

  • ptoomey3/evilarc - Create tar/zip archives that can exploit directory traversal vulnerabilities
  • usdAG/slipit - Utility for creating ZipSlip archives

Methodology

The Zip Slip vulnerability is a critical security flaw that affects the handling of archive files, such as ZIP, TAR, or other compressed file formats. This vulnerability allows an attacker to write arbitrary files outside of the intended extraction directory, potentially overwriting critical system files, executing malicious code, or gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Example: Suppose an attacker creates a ZIP file with the following structure:

malicious.zip
  ├── ../../../../etc/passwd
  ├── ../../../../usr/local/bin/malicious_script.sh

When a vulnerable application extracts malicious.zip, the files are written to /etc/passwd and /usr/local/bin/malicious_script.sh instead of being contained within the extraction directory. This can have severe consequences, such as corrupting system files or executing malicious scripts.

  • Using ptoomey3/evilarc: 

    python evilarc.py shell.php -o unix -f shell.zip -p var/www/html/ -d 15

  • Creating a ZIP archive containing a symbolic link:

    ln -s ../../../index.php symindex.txt
zip --symlinks test.zip symindex.txt

For a list of affected libraries and projects, visit snyk/zip-slip-vulnerability

References