# Treecache: Alyx> We remastered this old classic. There is now less cheese and more trees.> > Connect at `nc pwn.hsctf.com 5008`.
> > Hint: It would be a downright shame if I accidentally ran free(NULL). Good thing root can't ever become NULL!
## Solution### Outline1. Completely clearing a non-empty tree sets `root` equal to `temp_null`. Freeing `temp_null` as well creates a use-after-free vulnerability.2. The `free()` method places a pointer to tcache where the `description` pointer for a donation would go, letting us write directly into tcache with the use-after-free.3. We leaked the libc address by freeing a chunk onto the smallbin freelist and then using `malloc` first-fit to put the address of the leak in the `amount` parameter of a donation.4. Writing directly into tcache allows us arbitrary write, which lets us write `system` to `__free_hook` to gain a shell.
### VulnerabilityWe present a long, probably unintended, but truly *epic* solution to this challenge. It will again be roughly orthogonal to the previous two Treecache challenges. As always, we begin with a `checksec`.```$ checksec trees_alyx[*] '/trees_alyx'    Arch:     amd64-64-little    RELRO:    Full RELRO    Stack:    Canary found    NX:       NX enabled    PIE:      PIE enabled```This is even sadder than the previous Treecache challenges because we're now using full RELRO. Anyways, stack exploits are unlikely given all of the various protections, so it's time to heap.
One of the confusing things about the hint is that it's not referring to `0x0` but rather to the `temp_null` variable used in the deletion method of the program.```c		Node* child;		if (node->left != NULL) {			child = node->left;		} else if (node->right != NULL) {			child = node->right;		} else {			temp_null->parent = node;			node->left = temp_null;			child = temp_null;		}```The first vulnerability is that when the tree is cleared, `root` is not set to `0x0`. Rather, when deleting the `root` node, the program goes through the entire deletion algorithm, setting a child equal to `temp_null` and promoting it. This means that `temp_null` will be equal to `root`.
While sketchy, this does not look immediately exploitable. However, the hint mentions *freeing* `temp_null`, which after some pushing to bypass some checks we can do. Note the `id` of `temp_null` is read as `0`, so we can just revoke donation `0`. There is a small hiccup in that we have to pass the following check.```cvoid repair_dblack(Node* node) {	if (node->color == BLACK) {		Node* p = node->parent;		if (p == NULL) {			return;		}		if (p->left == node) {			assert(p->right != NULL); // all pointers in temp_null are null now		...```This can be bypassed by just allocating `temp_null` a right child and then freeing `temp_null` followed by freeing the right child to clear the tree again.
This presents a second more serious "use-after-free" vulnerability. In particular, we just managed to free `temp_null`, but `root` is set to `temp_null` in an empty tree, so we have access to it, potentially even the ability to read and write. With some more pushing, this vulnerability turns out to be enough.
### Leaking LibcThis is done in the same way as [Treecache 2](/Treecache_2/Treecache2.md). Once again, because we want a libc pointer, we go ahead and fill tcache with seven chunks of some size and then free another onto the smallbin freelist, which will place libc pointers inside the chunk. Then we use `malloc` first-fit to eventually receive back this eigth chunk and read the stored libc pointer.
In particular, we have to leak from the `print_donation` function here.```c	printf("%lu trees\n", a->amount);	printf("Donator: %s\n", a->name);	printf("Description: %s\n", a->description);```It is easiest to read directly from the `amount` and `name` parameters. Reading from `description` is hard because our strings get null-terminated by the program, which will block our leak. So the outline is to make eight huge `description` blocks (say, `0x100`) and then revoke all of those donations, putting the eigth large chunk on the smallbin freelist. Then if we continuously make new donations in the heap, eventually `malloc` will split the large smallbin chunk, putting libc pointers in random places of our donations. With luck the pointers will show up in `amount` or `name`, so we'll be able to leak.
### Exploiting the VulnerabilityThe key to the exploit is comparing what freed chunks look like in tcache to what the donation structure looks like. When freeing a chunk onto tcache in libc 2.29, it looks roughly like the following.```0x0000000000000000      0x0000000000000111 <-- size header; prev_in_use set0x[next on tcache]      0x[tcache pointer] <-- tcache's metadata0xdeadbeefdeadbeef      0xdeadbeefdeadbeef <-- old data...```What is interesting here is that tcache will write a pointer to itself (at the top of the heap) inside of a freed chunk. Additionally, the donation struct looks like the following.```0x0000000000000000      0x0000000000000041 <-- size header0x[donated amount]      0x[ desc. pointer] <-- description!0x[ name pointer ]      0x[a tree pointer]0x[a tree pointer]      0x[a tree pointer]0x[  id  ][ color]      ...```Now we bring in the fact that we have a use-after-free vulnerability. Notice that at our current state after setting `root` to `temp_null`, freeing `temp_null`, and then setting `root` back to `temp_null`, we have convinced the program that the freed `temp_null` chunk is currently on the tree.
However, comparing the structure of a freed chunk to the donation chunk, we notice that tcache wrote `0x[next on tcache]` into `0x[donated amount]` (helper for leaks but otherwise irrelevant) and `0x[tcache pointer]` into `0x[ desc. pointer]`. So right now, `temp_null->description` points to the top of the tcache chunk. As a brief review, the tcache chunk looks like the following in libc 2.29.```0x0000000000000000      0x0000000000000251 <-- tcache has size 0x2500x0101010101010101      0x0101010101010101 <-- length of each freelist0x0101010101010101      0x0101010101010101     here all freelists are 1 long0x0101010102010101      0x01010101010101010x0101010101010101      0x01010101010101010x[top 0x20 chunk]      0x[top 0x30 chunk]0x[top 0x40 chunk]      0x[top 0x50 chunk]...```If we edit `temp_null`, it will free the current `temp_null->description` and then `malloc` in another one; here is that part of the `edit_donation` function.```c	free(a->description);	desc = malloc(len_desc);	puts("Enter new description.");	read_str(desc, len_desc);	a->description = desc;```In this case, this will free the tcache chunk, and put *tcache* onto the tcache freelist. Then if we ask for a chunk of size `0x250` for the length of our description, then `malloc` will generously give us tcache back to write in our description. So editing `temp_null`'s description will let us write directly into tcache metadata.
With our newfound awesome power of writing directly into tcache, we can fool `malloc` into doing pretty much whatever we want. Placing `0x01` for all of the freelist lengths ensures that `malloc` thinks that there's a chunk waiting for it in each freelist. Then if we write in `0x7f00deadbeef` into tops of all the tcache freelists, then `malloc` will happily give us `0x7f00deadbeef` whenever we ask for a chunk. For clarity, tcache now looks like the following.```0x0000000000000000      0x0000000000000251 <-- tcache has size 0x2500x0101010101010101      0x0101010101010101 <-- length of each freelist0x0101010101010101      0x0101010101010101     here all freelists are 1 long0x0101010102010101      0x01010101010101010x0101010101010101      0x01010101010101010x00007f00deadbeef      0x00007f00deadbeef <-- top of freelists is 0x7f00deadbeef0x00007f00deadbeef      0x00007f00deadbeef...```This gives us the most arbitrary of writes.
### Finishing UpFrom here the exploit finishes normally. Write `/bin/sh` into some freeable memory, and then use the above arbitrary write (courtesy of tcache destruction) to write `system` into `__free_hook`; recall we've leaked libc. Then calling `free` on the `/bin/sh` memory will call `free("/bin/sh")`, which is now `system`, so we have a shell and so have the flag.
The full exploit can be found [here](/Treecache_Alyx/treeforce.py).