This release captures the session's reliability + accuracy work
on top of v0.5.0:
- Shared host fingerprint (core/host.{h,c}): kernel/distro/userns
gates / sudo + polkit versions, populated once at startup; every
module consults ctx->host instead of doing its own probes.
- Test harness (tests/test_detect.c, make test): 44 unit tests over
mocked host fingerprints, wired into CI as a non-root step.
- --auto upgrades: auto-enables --active, per-detect 15s timeout,
fork-isolated detect + exploit so a crashing module can't tear
down the dispatcher, per-module verdict table + scan summary.
- --dry-run flag (preview without firing; --i-know not required).
- Pinned mainline fix commits for the 3 ported modules
(dirtydecrypt / fragnesia / pack2theroot) — detect() is now
version-pinned with kernel_range tables, not precondition-only.
- New modules: dirtydecrypt (CVE-2026-31635), fragnesia
(CVE-2026-46300), pack2theroot (CVE-2026-41651).
- macOS dev build works for the first time (all Linux-only code
wrapped in #ifdef __linux__).
- docs/JSON_SCHEMA.md: stable consumer contract for --scan --json.
Version bump:
- SKELETONKEY_VERSION = '0.6.0' in skeletonkey.c
- README status line updated with the v0.6.0 changelog
- docs/JSON_SCHEMA.md example refreshed
Adds docs/JSON_SCHEMA.md documenting the shape and stability promises
of the JSON document --scan --json emits on stdout. The schema is
already what the binary produces — this commit pins the contract so
fleet-scan / SIEM consumers can rely on it across releases.
What it covers:
- Top-level object: { version, modules } and field stability.
- Per-module entry: { name, cve, result } with type + stability.
- The 6-value result enum (OK / TEST_ERROR / VULNERABLE /
EXPLOIT_FAIL / PRECOND_FAIL / EXPLOIT_OK) and what each means
semantically.
- Process exit-code semantics for --scan (worst observed result
becomes the exit code — lets a SIEM treat the binary exit as a
single-host alert level).
- Bash + jq one-liners for the common fleet-roll-up patterns.
- A recommended Python consumer pattern with the forward-compat
guidance (ignore unknown fields, treat unknown result strings as
TEST_ERROR-equivalent).
- Explicit stability promises: which fields cannot change without
a major-version bump, what may be added in future minor
releases, what consumers MUST tolerate.
Verified against the live binary: --scan --json produces exactly
the documented shape (top-level keys {modules, version}; per-module
keys {cve, name, result}; result values come from the documented
enum). 31 modules / 30 unique CVEs at v0.5.0.
README's 'Sysadmins' audience row now links the schema doc:
'JSON output for CI gates ([schema](docs/JSON_SCHEMA.md))'.
Both modules' detect() was precondition-only because we didn't know the
mainline fix commits at port time. Debian's security tracker now
provides them — pinning here turns detect() into a proper version-
based verdict (still with --active for empirical override).
dirtydecrypt (CVE-2026-31635):
- Fix commit a2567217ade970ecc458144b6be469bc015b23e5 in mainline 7.0
('rxrpc: fix oversized RESPONSE authenticator length check').
- Debian tracker confirms older stable branches (5.10 / 6.1 / 6.12) as
<not-affected, vulnerable code not present>: the rxgk RESPONSE-
handling code was added in 7.0.
- kernel_range table: { {7, 0, 0} }
- detect() pre-checks 'kernel < 7.0 -> SKELETONKEY_OK (predates)' then
consults the table. With --active, the /tmp sentinel probe overrides
empirically (catches pre-fix 7.0-rc kernels the version check
reports as patched).
fragnesia (CVE-2026-46300):
- Fix in mainline 7.0.9 per Debian tracker ('linux unstable: 7.0.9-1
fixed'). Older Debian-stable branches (bullseye 5.10 / bookworm 6.1
/ trixie 6.12) are still marked vulnerable as of 2026-05-22 - no
backports yet.
- kernel_range table: { {7, 0, 9} }
- detect() keeps the userns + carrier preconditions, then consults
the table: 7.0.9+ -> OK; older branches without an explicit backport
entry -> VULNERABLE (version-only). --active confirms empirically.
- Table is intentionally minimal so distros that DO backport in the
future flow into 'patched' once their branch lands an entry; until
then, the conservative VULNERABLE verdict on unfixed branches is
correct.
Other changes:
- module struct .kernel_range strings updated from 'fix commit not
yet pinned' to the actual pinned-version prose.
- module_safety_rank bumped 86 -> 87 for both modules (version-pinned
detect is now real; still below the verified copy_fail family at
88 so --auto prefers verified modules when both apply).
- Both modules now #include core/kernel_range.h inside their
#ifdef __linux__ block.
- MODULE.md verification-status sections rewritten: detect() is now
version-pinned; only the exploit body remains unverified.
- CVES.md note + inventory rows updated: dropped the 'precondition-
only' language for the pair; all three ported modules now have
pinned fix references.
- README ⚪ tier description + module list aligned to the new state.
Both detect()s smoke-tested in docker gcc:latest on kernel 6.12.76-
linuxkit: dirtydecrypt correctly reports OK ('predates the rxgk code
added in 7.0'); fragnesia + pack2theroot correctly report
PRECOND_FAIL (no userns / no D-Bus in container). Local macOS + Linux
builds both clean.
Adds the third ported module — Pack2TheRoot, a userspace PackageKit
D-Bus TOCTOU LPE — and spends real effort hardening --auto so its
detect step gives an accurate, robust verdict before deploying.
pack2theroot (CVE-2026-41651):
- Ported from the public Vozec PoC
(github.com/Vozec/CVE-2026-41651). Original disclosure by the
Deutsche Telekom security team.
- Two back-to-back InstallFiles D-Bus calls (SIMULATE then NONE)
overwrite the cached transaction flags between polkit auth and
dispatch. GLib priority ordering makes the overwrite deterministic,
not a timing race; postinst of the malicious .deb drops a SUID bash
in /tmp.
- detect() reads PackageKit's VersionMajor/Minor/Micro directly over
D-Bus and compares against the pinned fix release 1.3.5 (commit
76cfb675). This is a high-confidence verdict, not precondition-only.
- Debian-family only (PoC builds its own .deb in pure C; ar/ustar/
gzip-stored inline). Cleanup removes /tmp .debs + best-effort
unlinks /tmp/.suid_bash + sudo -n dpkg -r the staging packages.
- Adds an optional GLib/GIO build dependency. The top-level Makefile
autodetects via `pkg-config gio-2.0`; when absent the module
compiles as a stub returning PRECOND_FAIL.
- Embedded auditd + sigma rules cover the file-side footprint
(/tmp/.suid_bash, /tmp/.pk-*.deb, non-root dpkg/apt execve).
--auto accuracy improvements:
- Auto-enables --active before the scan. Per-module sentinel probes
(page-cache /tmp files, fork-isolated namespace mounts) turn
version-only checks into definitive verdicts, so silent distro
backports don't fool the scan and --auto won't pick blind on
TEST_ERROR.
- Per-module verdict printing — every module's result is shown
(VULNERABLE / patched / precondition / indeterminate), not just
VULNERABLE rows. Operator sees the full picture.
- Scan-end summary line: "N vulnerable, M patched/n.a., K
precondition-fail, L indeterminate" with a separate callout when
modules crashed.
- Distro fingerprint added to the auto banner (ID + VERSION_ID from
/etc/os-release alongside kernel/arch).
- Fork-isolated detect() — each detector runs in a child process so
a SIGILL/SIGSEGV in one module's probe is contained and the scan
continues. Surfaced live while testing: entrybleed's prefetchnta
KASLR sweep SIGILLs on emulated CPUs (linuxkit on darwin); without
isolation the whole --auto died at module 7 of 31. With isolation
the scan reports "detect() crashed (signal 4) — continuing" and
finishes cleanly.
module_safety_rank additions:
- pack2theroot: 95 (userspace D-Bus TOCTOU; dpkg + /tmp SUID footprint
— clean but heavier than pwnkit's gconv-modules-only path).
- dirtydecrypt / fragnesia: 86 (page-cache writes; one step below the
verified copy_fail/dirty_frag family at 88 to prefer verified
modules when both apply).
Docs:
- README badge / tagline / tier table / ⚪ block / example output /
v0.5.0 status — all updated to "28 verified + 3 ported".
- CVES.md counts line, the ported-modules note (now calling out
pack2theroot's high-confidence detect vs. precondition-only for
the page-cache pair), inventory row, operations table row.
- ROADMAP Phase 7+: pack2theroot moved out of carry-overs into the
"landed (ported, pending VM verification)" group; added a new
"--auto accuracy work" subsection documenting the dispatcher
hardening landed in this commit.
- docs/index.html: scanning-count example bumped to 31, status line
updated to mention 3 ported modules.
Build verification: full `make clean && make` in `docker gcc:latest`
with libglib2.0-dev installed: links into a 31-module skeletonkey
ELF (413KB), `--list` shows all modules including pack2theroot,
`--detect-rules --format=auditd` emits the new pack2theroot section,
`--auto --i-know --no-shell` exercises the new banner + active
probes + verdict table + fork isolation + scan summary end-to-end.
Only build warning is the pre-existing
`-Wunterminated-string-initialization` in dirty_pipe (not introduced
here).
Three-agent rigorous review of the dirtydecrypt + fragnesia ports plus
repo-wide doc consistency, followed by a full Linux build verification.
dirtydecrypt (NOTICE + detection rules):
- NOTICE.md: removed an unsupported "Zellic co-founder" detail and a
fabricated disclosure-date narrative; tightened phrasing of the
Zellic + V12 credit; noted that upstream poc.c carries no
author/license header of its own.
- Embedded auditd + sigma rules and detect/sigma.yml broadened to
cover every binary in dd_targets[] (added /usr/bin/mount,
/usr/bin/passwd, /usr/bin/chsh) and added the b32 splice rule, so
the embedded ruleset matches the on-disk reference and the carrier
list the exploit actually targets.
- Exploit primitive verified byte-for-byte against the V12 PoC
(tiny_elf[] identical, all rxgk/XDR/fire/pagecache_write logic
token-identical). docker gcc:latest compile of the Linux path:
COMPILE_OK, zero warnings.
fragnesia: review found no defects. Exploit primitive byte-identical
to the V12 PoC (shell_elf[] 192 bytes identical, AF_ALG GCM keystream
table + userns/netns/XFRM + receiver/sender/run_trigger_pair all
faithful). The deliberate omissions (ANSI TUI, CLI arg parsing) drop
nothing exploit-critical. docker gcc:latest compile: COMPILE_OK; full
project build links into a working skeletonkey ELF and --list shows
the module registered correctly.
Repo docs (README.md / CVES.md / ROADMAP.md):
- Chose to keep "28 verified" as the headline; the two ported
modules are represented as a separate clearly-labelled tier
("ported-but-unverified") that is explicitly excluded from the
28-module verified counts. README + CVES.md + ROADMAP.md now tell
one consistent story.
- Filled a pre-existing documentation gap: sudo_samedit, sequoia,
sudoedit_editor, vmwgfx were registered + built but absent from
CVES.md's inventory + operations tables. Added rows synthesized
from each module's .cve / .summary / .kernel_range fields.
- ROADMAP Phase 8 "7 🟡 PRIMITIVE modules" → "14"; added a "Landed
since v0.1.0" group; moved vmwgfx out of the stale carry-overs.
docs site (docs/index.html):
- Stat box "28 / total modules" → "28 / verified modules" (the 14+14
breakdown now sums to the headline consistently).
- Terminal example "scanning 28 modules" → "scanning 30 modules"
(was factually wrong — the binary literally prints module_count()
which is 30).
- Status line: updated to mention the 2 ported-but-unverified
modules and mirror the README phrasing.
- docs/LAUNCH.md left as a dated v0.5.0 launch snapshot.
Build verification: `docker run gcc:latest make clean && make` —
links into a 30-module skeletonkey ELF on Linux. macOS dev box still
hits the pre-existing dirty_pipe header gap; unchanged.
.gitignore: added /skeletonkey to exclude the top-level build
artifact (the existing modules/*/skeletonkey only covered per-module
binaries; the root one was getting picked up by `git add -A`).
Module counts were stale: 13 🟢 + 11 🟡 → corrected to 14 🟢 + 14 🟡
(sudoedit_editor is new 🟢; sudo_samedit + sequoia + vmwgfx are
new 🟡 from the v0.5.0 batch).
Added 'Who it's for' table — red team / sysadmin / blue team / CTF
each get a row.
Added 'Corpus at a glance' section with explicit module lists per
tier, replacing the prose paragraph that buried the names.
Tightened Quickstart — removed duplicate one-liner block, single
canonical command set.
Worked example switched from fictional dirty_pipe to the actual
--auto output shape (pwnkit pick on a vulnerable Ubuntu 5.15).
Honest 'Status' framing — acknowledges no empirical end-to-end
validation yet, calls it the next roadmap item. Replaces the
aspirational 'CI-tested across a distro matrix' claim.
Added 'How it works' (was 'Architecture' + 'Build & run' merged
into a clearer flow) and 'The verified-vs-claimed bar' section
explaining why most modules ship without per-kernel offsets.
README.md: badges (release / license / module-count / platform),
sharpened hero stating value prop in one sentence, audience
framing for red team / sysadmin / blue team.
CONTRIBUTING.md (new): what we accept (offsets, modules, detection
rules, bug reports) and what we don't (untested EXPLOIT_OK,
fabricated offsets, 0days, undisclosed CVEs).
docs/LAUNCH.md (new): ~600-word HN/blog launch post. Copy-paste
ready. Explains the verified-vs-claimed bar + --auto + the
operator-populated offset table approach.
GitHub repo description + 11 topics set via gh repo edit so the
repo is discoverable in topic searches (linux-security,
privilege-escalation, cve, redteam, blueteam, etc.).
Previous staircase pattern was just trailing decoration — not real
key teeth. Redesigned the bit as a hanging rectangle with two
clearly-projecting notch-teeth on its right edge (the part that
engages a lock's wards). Switched to box-drawing chars for the bit
since they make sharper notches than 8/b/d glyphs; bow stays
ornate-ASCII style.
Bump 0.4.3 → 0.4.4.
Previous banner had a SKELETONKEY block-letter art that competed
with the skeleton-key drawing for visual attention. Simplified:
the key art is now the focal point, and SKELETONKEY is rendered
as plain spaced text below the drawing.
Slight refinement to the key art: bow is a bit larger (888 instead
of 88) to feel more substantial. Bit/teeth pattern unchanged.
Bump 0.4.2 → 0.4.3.
The v0.4.1 box-drawing key was minimalist — round bow, line shaft,
small bit. Replaced with a more detailed ornate skeleton-key
silhouette in the classic ASCII-art-of-keys tradition:
- Round bow with internal "hole" rendered via stylized 8/b/d/'
pattern (suggests the decorative loop you'd grip)
- Long shaft running right across the banner
- Bit at the end with a staircase notch pattern (the iconic
"key-tooth" descent showing the wards that engage the lock)
Same height as the previous banner. SKELETONKEY block letters
below unchanged.
Bump 0.4.1 → 0.4.2.
Replace the previous "circle + shaft + curl" silhouette (which read
more like a magnifying glass) with a proper skeleton-key anatomy:
- BOW: round decorative loop with center hole (the part you hold)
- SHAFT: long horizontal rod (= the body of the key)
- BIT: notched tooth hanging down from the shaft end (the part
that engages the lock — the iconic key-tooth profile)
Same change in skeletonkey.c BANNER and README.md.
Bump 0.4.0 → 0.4.1.
The whole point of an LPE tool is going from unprivileged to root,
but the Quickstart was leading with `sudo iamroot --scan`. Fix:
- Drop sudo from --scan / --audit / --exploit / --detect-rules.
These work without root (--scan reads /proc + /etc; --audit
walks the FS via stat; --exploit IS the privilege escalation;
--detect-rules emits to stdout).
- Keep sudo only where it's actually needed: --mitigate (writes
/etc/modprobe.d + sysctl) and tee'ing rule files into
/etc/audit/rules.d/.
- Add a worked example showing `id` as uid=1000, then
`iamroot --exploit dirty_pipe --i-know`, then `id` as uid=0.
- Fix the Build & run section's `sudo ./iamroot` too.
iamroot.c: bump IAMROOT_VERSION from 0.1.0-phase1 → 0.1.0
README.md: replace "bootstrap phase" status with v0.1.0 corpus
breakdown (13🟢 / 7🟡 across 2016→2026 timeline)
CVES.md: redefine 🟡 to mean "primitive fires + groom + witness,
stops short of cred-overwrite chain — refuses to claim
root unless empirically demonstrated"; flip 7 entries
from 🔵 → 🟡; add the two missing 🟢 entries
(cgroup_release_agent, overlayfs_setuid); extend the
operations matrix from 7 → 20 rows.
ROADMAP.md: mark all Phase-7 items landed; add Phase 8 covering
full-chain promotions (nf_tables / xtcompat / af_packet
prioritized — each has a public reference exploit;
IAMROOT's no-fabricated-offsets rule means each needs
an env-var offset table or System.map auto-resolve).
Build clean on Debian 6.12.86; iamroot --version reports 0.1.0.
For 'people should say just use iamroot' framing, the install gate is
the single biggest discoverability bottleneck. This commit makes it:
curl -sSL https://github.com/KaraZajac/IAMROOT/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh
.github/workflows/release.yml:
- Triggers on semver tag push (v*.*.*) + manual dispatch.
- Matrix build for x86_64 (gcc) and arm64 (aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc cross).
- Per-arch sha256sum alongside the binary.
- Auto-generates release notes pointing at CVES.md / ROADMAP.md and
including the install one-liner with the version-specific URL.
- Publishes via softprops/action-gh-release@v2.
install.sh (also uploaded as a release artifact, so the curl|sh
above is stable):
- Detects arch (x86_64 / aarch64 → arm64).
- Pulls iamroot-<arch> + iamroot-<arch>.sha256 from the requested
version (default: latest).
- Verifies sha256 via sha256sum or shasum -a 256.
- Installs to /usr/local/bin/iamroot (or $IAMROOT_PREFIX). Uses sudo
iff /usr/local/bin isn't already writable.
- Prints quickstart hints + ethics pointer at the end.
- Env knobs: IAMROOT_VERSION, IAMROOT_PREFIX, IAMROOT_REPO.
README.md gains a 'Quickstart' section at the top with the four
canonical commands: install, --scan, --audit, --detect-rules,
fleet-scan. Lands the 'curl|bash and go' UX as the first thing
visitors see.
leviathan