# Ret2ret & Reo2pop

{% hint style="success" %}
Learn & practice AWS Hacking:<img src="/.gitbook/assets/arte.png" alt="" data-size="line">[**HackTricks Training AWS Red Team Expert (ARTE)**](https://training.hacktricks.xyz/courses/arte)<img src="/.gitbook/assets/arte.png" alt="" data-size="line">\
Learn & practice GCP Hacking: <img src="/.gitbook/assets/grte.png" alt="" data-size="line">[**HackTricks Training GCP Red Team Expert (GRTE)**<img src="/.gitbook/assets/grte.png" alt="" data-size="line">](https://training.hacktricks.xyz/courses/grte)

<details>

<summary>Support HackTricks</summary>

* 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.

</details>
{% endhint %}

## Ret2ret

The main goal of this technique is to try to **bypass ASLR by abusing an existing pointer in the stack**.

Basically, stack overflows are usually caused by strings, and **strings end with a null byte at the end** in memory. This allows to try to reduce the place pointed by na existing pointer already existing n the stack. So if the stack contained `0xbfffffdd`, this overflow could transform it into `0xbfffff00` (note the last zeroed byte).

If that address points to our shellcode in the stack, it's possible to make the flow reach that address by **adding addresses to the `ret` instruction** util this one is reached.

Therefore the attack would be like this:

* NOP sled
* Shellcode
* Overwrite the stack from the EIP with **addresses to `ret`** (RET sled)
* 0x00 added by the string modifying an address from the stack making it point to the NOP sled

Following [**this link**](https://github.com/florianhofhammer/stack-buffer-overflow-internship/blob/master/ASLR%20Smack%20and%20Laugh%20reference%20-%20Tilo%20Mueller/ret2ret.c) you can see an example of a vulnerable binary and [**in this one**](https://github.com/florianhofhammer/stack-buffer-overflow-internship/blob/master/ASLR%20Smack%20and%20Laugh%20reference%20-%20Tilo%20Mueller/ret2retexploit.c) the exploit.

## Ret2pop

In case you can find a **perfect pointer in the stack that you don't want to modify** (in `ret2ret` we changes the final lowest byte to `0x00`), you can perform the same `ret2ret` attack, but the **length of the RET sled must be shorted by 1** (so the final `0x00` overwrites the data just before the perfect pointer), and the **last** address of the RET sled must point to **`pop <reg>; ret`**.\
This way, the **data before the perfect pointer will be removed** from the stack (this is the data affected by the `0x00`) and the **final `ret` will point to the perfect address** in the stack without any change.

Following [**this link**](https://github.com/florianhofhammer/stack-buffer-overflow-internship/blob/master/ASLR%20Smack%20and%20Laugh%20reference%20-%20Tilo%20Mueller/ret2pop.c) you can see an example of a vulnerable binary and [**in this one** ](https://github.com/florianhofhammer/stack-buffer-overflow-internship/blob/master/ASLR%20Smack%20and%20Laugh%20reference%20-%20Tilo%20Mueller/ret2popexploit.c)the exploit.

## References

* [https://github.com/florianhofhammer/stack-buffer-overflow-internship/blob/master/NOTES.md](https://github.com/florianhofhammer/stack-buffer-overflow-internship/blob/master/NOTES.md)

{% hint style="success" %}
Learn & practice AWS Hacking:<img src="/.gitbook/assets/arte.png" alt="" data-size="line">[**HackTricks Training AWS Red Team Expert (ARTE)**](https://training.hacktricks.xyz/courses/arte)<img src="/.gitbook/assets/arte.png" alt="" data-size="line">\
Learn & practice GCP Hacking: <img src="/.gitbook/assets/grte.png" alt="" data-size="line">[**HackTricks Training GCP Red Team Expert (GRTE)**<img src="/.gitbook/assets/grte.png" alt="" data-size="line">](https://training.hacktricks.xyz/courses/grte)

<details>

<summary>Support HackTricks</summary>

* 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.

</details>
{% endhint %}