# Print Stack Canary
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## Enlarge printed stack
Imagine a situation where a **program vulnerable** to stack overflow can execute a **puts** function **pointing** to **part** of the **stack overflow**. The attacker knows that the **first byte of the canary is a null byte** (`\x00`) and the rest of the canary are **random** bytes. Then, the attacker may create an overflow that **overwrites the stack until just the first byte of the canary**.
Then, the attacker **calls the puts functionalit**y on the middle of the payload which will **print all the canary** (except from the first null byte).
With this info the attacker can **craft and send a new attack** knowing the canary (in the same program session).
Obviously, this tactic is very **restricted** as the attacker needs to be able to **print** the **content** of his **payload** to **exfiltrate** the **canary** and then be able to create a new payload (in the **same program session**) and **send** the **real buffer overflow**.
**CTF examples:**
* [**https://guyinatuxedo.github.io/08-bof\_dynamic/csawquals17\_svc/index.html**](https://guyinatuxedo.github.io/08-bof\_dynamic/csawquals17\_svc/index.html)
* 64 bit, ASLR enabled but no PIE, the first step is to fill an overflow until the byte 0x00 of the canary to then call puts and leak it. With the canary a ROP gadget is created to call puts to leak the address of puts from the GOT and the a ROP gadget to call `system('/bin/sh')`
* [**https://guyinatuxedo.github.io/14-ret\_2\_system/hxp18\_poorCanary/index.html**](https://guyinatuxedo.github.io/14-ret\_2\_system/hxp18\_poorCanary/index.html)
* 32 bit, ARM, no relro, canary, nx, no pie. Overflow with a call to puts on it to leak the canary + ret2lib calling `system` with a ROP chain to pop r0 (arg `/bin/sh`) and pc (address of system)
## Arbitrary Read
With an **arbitrary read** like the one provided by format **strings** it might be possible to leak the canary. Check this example: [**https://ir0nstone.gitbook.io/notes/types/stack/canaries**](https://ir0nstone.gitbook.io/notes/types/stack/canaries) and you can read about abusing format strings to read arbitrary memory addresses in:
{% content-ref url="../../format-strings/" %}
[format-strings](../../format-strings/)
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* [https://guyinatuxedo.github.io/14-ret\_2\_system/asis17\_marymorton/index.html](https://guyinatuxedo.github.io/14-ret\_2\_system/asis17\_marymorton/index.html)
* This challenge abuses in a very simple way a format string to read the canary from the stack
{% hint style="success" %}
Learn & practice AWS Hacking:[**HackTricks Training AWS Red Team Expert (ARTE)**](https://training.hacktricks.xyz/courses/arte)\
Learn & practice GCP Hacking: [**HackTricks Training GCP Red Team Expert (GRTE)**](https://training.hacktricks.xyz/courses/grte)
Support HackTricks
* Check the [**subscription plans**](https://github.com/sponsors/carlospolop)!
* **Join the** 💬 [**Discord group**](https://discord.gg/hRep4RUj7f) or the [**telegram group**](https://t.me/peass) or **follow** us on **Twitter** 🐦 [**@hacktricks\_live**](https://twitter.com/hacktricks\_live)**.**
* **Share hacking tricks by submitting PRs to the** [**HackTricks**](https://github.com/carlospolop/hacktricks) and [**HackTricks Cloud**](https://github.com/carlospolop/hacktricks-cloud) github repos.
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