Cyber Risks · Google Project Zero

Windows Exploitation Tricks: Trapping Virtual Memory Access (2025 Update)

Summary: Google Project Zero's James Forshaw describes a Windows 11 24H2 change that lets the SMB client specify a destination TCP port from the command line, so that net use \\localhost\c$ /TCPPORT:12345 routes UNC path access through port 12345 instead of the fixed port 445. This lets an attacker run a fake SMB server on a non-standard local port without administrator rights, removing the need for a remote server or the Cloud Filter API to build a virtual memory access trap for exploiting TOCTOU kernel bugs.

Key Takeaway: The feature is enabled by default and can only be turned off by an administrator through Group Policy, which Forshaw calls a mistake likely to cause problems for Windows going forward - and it makes the False File Immutability bug class locally exploitable.

Read the original at Google Project Zero ↗

Topics
Vulnerabilities & Patching
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