leviathan
d52fcd5512
Audit found several user-facing surfaces still carrying old numbers
from earlier releases. Brought everything in line with the binary's
authoritative footer ('39 modules · 10 KEV · 28 verified · 7 any').
README.md:
- Status section: v0.9.0 → v0.9.2 framing; describe the 22 → 28
verification arc (v0.9.1 + v0.9.2)
- '119 detection rules' → 151 (current bundled count)
- '10 of 26 KEV-listed' → '10 of 34'
- 'Not yet verified (4 of 26 CVEs)' → '(6 of 34 CVEs)' with the new
honest list (vmwgfx, dirty_cow, mutagen_astronomy, pintheft,
vsock_uaf, fragnesia) and the reason each is blocked
- Example --auto output: 31 → 39 modules
docs/index.html:
- '22 of 26 CVEs confirmed' → '28 of 34', mainline kernel list expanded
(5.4.0-26 / 5.15.5 / 6.1.10 / 6.19.7)
- Corpus section '26 CVEs across 10 years' → '34 CVEs'
- '26 CVEs, 10-year span' (author list intro) → '34 CVEs'
- Footer feature list '22 of 26' → '28 of 34'
- KEV stat chip 11 → 10 (matches binary; the anticipated 11th from
metadata refresh hasn't been added yet)
- '119 detection rules' → '151' (two occurrences)
docs/og.svg + og.png:
- KEV chip 11 → 10 (matches binary)
CVES.md:
- '31 modules' → '39 modules covering 34 CVEs'
- Rewrote the unverified-rows note to match the actual 6-module list
No content changes to RELEASE_NOTES.md or ROADMAP.md — those entries
correctly describe state at the time they were written.
280 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
280 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
# SKELETONKEY
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[](https://github.com/KaraZajac/SKELETONKEY/releases/latest)
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[](LICENSE)
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[](docs/VERIFICATIONS.jsonl)
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[](#)
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> **One curated binary. 39 Linux LPE modules covering 34 CVEs from 2016 → 2026.
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> Every year 2016 → 2026 covered. 28 confirmed end-to-end against real Linux
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> VMs via `tools/verify-vm/`. Detection rules in the box. One command picks
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> the safest one and runs it.**
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```bash
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curl -sSL https://github.com/KaraZajac/SKELETONKEY/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh \
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&& skeletonkey --auto --i-know
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```
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> ⚠️ **Authorized testing only.** SKELETONKEY runs real exploits. By
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> using it you assert you have explicit authorization to test the
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> target system. See [`docs/ETHICS.md`](docs/ETHICS.md).
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## Why use this
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Most Linux privesc tooling is broken in one of three ways:
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- **`linux-exploit-suggester` / `linpeas`** — tell you what *might*
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work, run nothing
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- **`auto-root-exploit` / `kernelpop`** — bundle exploits but ship
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no detection signatures and went stale years ago
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- **Per-CVE PoC repos** — one author, one distro, abandoned within
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months
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SKELETONKEY is one binary, actively maintained, with detection rules
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for every CVE in the bundle — same project for red and blue teams.
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## Who it's for
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| Audience | What you get |
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|---|---|
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| **Red team / pentesters** | One tested binary. `--auto` ranks vulnerable modules by safety and runs the safest. Honest scope reporting — never claims root it didn't actually get. |
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| **Sysadmins** | `skeletonkey --scan` (no sudo needed) tells you which boxes still need patching. Fleet-scan tool included. JSON output for CI gates ([schema](docs/JSON_SCHEMA.md)). |
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| **Blue team / SOC** | Auditd + sigma + yara + falco rules for every CVE. `--detect-rules --format=auditd \| sudo tee …` ships SIEM coverage in one command. |
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| **CTF / training** | Reproducible LPE environment with public CVEs across a 10-year timeline. Each module documents the bug, the trigger, and the fix. |
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## Corpus at a glance
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**39 modules covering 34 distinct CVEs** across the 2016 → 2026 LPE
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timeline. **28 of the 34 CVEs have been empirically verified** in real
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Linux VMs via `tools/verify-vm/`; the 6 still-pending entries are
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blocked by their target environment (legacy hypervisor, EOL kernel, or
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the t64-transition libc rollout), not by missing code.
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| Tier | Count | What it means |
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|---|---|---|
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| 🟢 Full chain | **14** | Lands root (or its canonical capability) end-to-end. No per-kernel offsets needed. |
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| 🟡 Primitive | **14** | Fires the kernel primitive + grooms the slab + records a witness. Default returns `EXPLOIT_FAIL` honestly. Pass `--full-chain` to engage the shared `modprobe_path` finisher (needs offsets — see [`docs/OFFSETS.md`](docs/OFFSETS.md)). |
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**🟢 Modules that land root on a vulnerable host:**
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copy_fail family ×5 · dirty_pipe · dirty_cow · pwnkit · overlayfs
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(CVE-2021-3493) · overlayfs_setuid (CVE-2023-0386) ·
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cgroup_release_agent · ptrace_traceme · sudoedit_editor · entrybleed
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(KASLR leak primitive)
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**🟡 Modules with opt-in `--full-chain`:**
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af_packet · af_packet2 · af_unix_gc · cls_route4 · fuse_legacy ·
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nf_tables · nft_set_uaf · nft_fwd_dup · nft_payload ·
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netfilter_xtcompat · stackrot · sudo_samedit · sequoia · vmwgfx
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### Empirical verification (28 of 34 CVEs)
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Records in [`docs/VERIFICATIONS.jsonl`](docs/VERIFICATIONS.jsonl) prove
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each verdict against a known-target VM. Coverage:
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| Distro / kernel | Modules verified |
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|---|---|
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| Ubuntu 18.04 (4.15.0, sudo 1.8.21p2) | af_packet · ptrace_traceme · sudo_samedit · sudo_runas_neg1 |
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| Ubuntu 20.04 (5.4.0-26 pinned + 5.15 HWE) | af_packet2 · cls_route4 · nft_payload · overlayfs · pwnkit · sequoia · tioscpgrp |
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| Ubuntu 22.04 (5.15 stock + mainline 5.15.5 / 6.1.10 / 6.19.7) | af_unix_gc · dirty_pipe · dirtydecrypt · entrybleed · nf_tables · nft_set_uaf · nft_pipapo · overlayfs_setuid · stackrot · sudoedit_editor · sudo_chwoot |
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| Debian 11 (5.10 stock) | cgroup_release_agent · fuse_legacy · netfilter_xtcompat · nft_fwd_dup |
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| Debian 12 (6.1 stock + udisks2 / polkit allow rule) | pack2theroot · udisks_libblockdev |
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**Not yet verified (6):** `vmwgfx` (VMware-guest-only — no public Vagrant
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box), `dirty_cow` (needs ≤ 4.4 kernel — older than every supported box),
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`mutagen_astronomy` (mainline 4.14.70 kernel-panics on Ubuntu 18.04
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rootfs — needs CentOS 6 / Debian 7), `pintheft` & `vsock_uaf` (kernel
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modules not loaded on common Vagrant boxes), `fragnesia` (mainline 7.0.5
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kernel .debs depend on the t64-transition libs from Ubuntu 24.04+/Debian
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13+; no Parallels-supported box has those yet). All six are flagged in
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[`tools/verify-vm/targets.yaml`](tools/verify-vm/targets.yaml) with
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rationale.
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See [`CVES.md`](CVES.md) for per-module CVE, kernel range, and
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detection status. Run `skeletonkey --module-info <name>` for the
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embedded verification records per module.
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## Quickstart
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```bash
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# Install (x86_64 / arm64; checksum-verified)
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curl -sSL https://github.com/KaraZajac/SKELETONKEY/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh
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# What's this box vulnerable to? (no sudo)
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skeletonkey --scan
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# One-page operator briefing for a single CVE: CWE / MITRE ATT&CK /
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# CISA KEV status, live detect() trace, OPSEC footprint, detection
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# coverage. Useful for triage tickets and SOC analyst handoffs.
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skeletonkey --explain nf_tables
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# Pick the safest LPE and run it
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skeletonkey --auto --i-know
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# Deploy detection rules (needs sudo to write into /etc/audit/rules.d/)
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skeletonkey --detect-rules --format=auditd \
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| sudo tee /etc/audit/rules.d/99-skeletonkey.rules
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# Fleet scan — many hosts via SSH, aggregated JSON for SIEM
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./tools/skeletonkey-fleet-scan.sh --binary skeletonkey \
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--ssh-key ~/.ssh/id_rsa hosts.txt
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```
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**SKELETONKEY runs as a normal unprivileged user** — that's the point.
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`--scan`, `--audit`, `--exploit`, and `--detect-rules` all work without
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`sudo`. Only `--mitigate` and rule-file installation write root-owned
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paths.
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### Example: unprivileged → root
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```text
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$ id
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uid=1000(kara) gid=1000(kara) groups=1000(kara)
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$ skeletonkey --auto --i-know
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[*] auto: host=demo distro=ubuntu/24.04 kernel=5.15.0-56-generic arch=x86_64
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[*] auto: active probes enabled — brief /tmp file touches and fork-isolated namespace probes
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[*] auto: scanning 39 modules for vulnerabilities...
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[+] auto: dirty_pipe VULNERABLE (safety rank 90)
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[+] auto: cgroup_release_agent VULNERABLE (safety rank 98)
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[+] auto: pwnkit VULNERABLE (safety rank 100)
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[ ] auto: copy_fail patched or not applicable
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[ ] auto: nf_tables precondition not met
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...
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[*] auto: scan summary — 3 vulnerable, 21 patched/n.a., 7 precondition-fail, 0 indeterminate
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[*] auto: 3 vulnerable modules found. Safest is 'pwnkit' (rank 100).
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[*] auto: launching --exploit pwnkit...
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[+] pwnkit: writing gconv-modules cache + payload.so...
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[+] pwnkit: execve(pkexec) with NULL argv + crafted envp...
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# id
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uid=0(root) gid=0(root) groups=0(root)
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```
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The safety ranking goes: **structural escapes** (no kernel state
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touched) → **page-cache writes** → **userspace cred-races** →
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**kernel primitives** → **kernel races** (least predictable). The
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goal is to never crash a production box looking for root.
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## How it works
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Each CVE (or tightly-related family) is a **module** under `modules/`.
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Modules export a standard interface (`detect / exploit / mitigate /
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cleanup`) plus metadata (kernel range, detection rule text). The
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top-level binary dispatches per command:
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- `--scan` walks every module's `detect()` against the running host
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- `--exploit <name> --i-know` runs the named module's exploit (the
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`--i-know` flag is the authorization gate)
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- `--auto --i-know` does the scan, ranks by safety, runs the safest
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- `--detect-rules --format=<auditd|sigma|yara|falco>` emits the
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embedded rule corpus
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- `--mitigate <name>` / `--cleanup <name>` apply / undo temporary
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mitigations (module-dependent — most kernel modules say "upgrade")
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- `--dump-offsets` reads `/proc/kallsyms` + `/boot/System.map` and
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emits a ready-to-paste C entry for the `--full-chain` offset table
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See [`docs/ARCHITECTURE.md`](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md) for the
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module-loader design.
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## The verified-vs-claimed bar
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Most public PoC repos hardcode offsets for one kernel build and
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silently break elsewhere. SKELETONKEY refuses to ship fabricated
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offsets. The shared `--full-chain` finisher only returns
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`EXPLOIT_OK` after a setuid bash sentinel file *actually appears*;
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otherwise modules return `EXPLOIT_FAIL` with a diagnostic. Operators
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populate the offset table once per target kernel via
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`skeletonkey --dump-offsets` and either set env vars or upstream the
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entry via PR ([`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md)).
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## Build from source
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```bash
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git clone https://github.com/KaraZajac/SKELETONKEY.git
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cd SKELETONKEY
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make
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./skeletonkey --version
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```
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Builds clean with gcc or clang on any modern Linux. macOS dev builds
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also compile (modules with Linux-only headers stub out gracefully).
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## Status
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**v0.9.2 cut 2026-05-24.** 39 modules across 34 CVEs — **every
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year 2016 → 2026 now covered**. v0.9.0 added 5 gap-fillers
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(`mutagen_astronomy` / `sudo_runas_neg1` / `tioscpgrp` / `vsock_uaf` /
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`nft_pipapo`); v0.8.0 added 3 (`sudo_chwoot` / `udisks_libblockdev` /
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`pintheft`). v0.9.1 and v0.9.2 are verification-only sweeps that took
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the verified count from 22 → 28 by booting real vulnerable kernels
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(Ubuntu mainline 5.4.0-26, 5.15.5, 6.19.7 + provisioner-built sudo
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1.9.16p1 + Debian 12 + polkit allow rule for udisks).
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**28 empirically verified** against real Linux VMs (Ubuntu 18.04 /
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20.04 / 22.04 + Debian 11 / 12 + mainline kernels from
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kernel.ubuntu.com). 88-test unit harness + ASan/UBSan + clang-tidy on
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every push. 4 prebuilt binaries (x86_64 + arm64, each in dynamic +
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static-musl flavors).
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Reliability + accuracy work in v0.7.x:
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- Shared **host fingerprint** (`core/host.{h,c}`) populated once at
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startup — kernel/distro/userns gates/sudo+polkit versions — exposed
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to every module via `ctx->host`.
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- **Test harness** (`tests/`, `make test`) — 88 tests: 33 kernel_range
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unit tests + 55 detect() integration tests over mocked host
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fingerprints. Runs in CI on every push.
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- **VM verifier** (`tools/verify-vm/`) — Vagrant + Parallels scaffold
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that boots known-vulnerable kernels (stock distro + mainline via
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kernel.ubuntu.com), runs `--explain --active` per module, records
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match/MISMATCH/PRECOND_FAIL as JSON. 28 modules confirmed end-to-end.
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- **`--explain <module>`** — single-page operator briefing: CVE / CWE
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/ MITRE ATT&CK / CISA KEV status, host fingerprint, live detect()
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trace, OPSEC footprint, detection-rule coverage, verified-on
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records. Paste-into-ticket ready.
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- **CVE metadata pipeline** (`tools/refresh-cve-metadata.py`) — fetches
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CISA KEV catalog + NVD CWE; 10 of 34 modules cover KEV-listed CVEs.
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- **151 detection rules** across auditd / sigma / yara / falco; one
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command exports the corpus to your SIEM.
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- `--auto` upgrades: per-detect 15s timeout, fork-isolated detect +
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exploit, structured verdict table, scan summary, `--dry-run`.
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Not yet verified (6 of 34 CVEs): `vmwgfx` (VMware-guest only),
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`dirty_cow` (needs ≤ 4.4 kernel), `mutagen_astronomy` (mainline
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4.14.70 panics on Ubuntu 18.04 rootfs — needs CentOS 6 / Debian 7),
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`pintheft` + `vsock_uaf` (kernel modules not autoloaded on common
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Vagrant boxes), `fragnesia` (mainline 7.0.5 .debs need t64-transition
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libs from Ubuntu 24.04+ / Debian 13+; no Parallels-supported box has
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those yet). Rationale in
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[`tools/verify-vm/targets.yaml`](tools/verify-vm/targets.yaml).
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See [`ROADMAP.md`](ROADMAP.md) for the next planned modules and
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infrastructure work.
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## Contributing
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PRs welcome for: kernel offsets (run `--dump-offsets` on a target
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kernel, paste into `core/offsets.c`), new modules, detection rules,
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and CVE-status corrections. See [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md).
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**Keeping `kernel_range` tables current.** `tools/refresh-kernel-ranges.py`
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polls Debian's security tracker and reports drift between each
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module's hardcoded `kernel_patched_from` thresholds and the
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fixed-versions Debian actually ships. Run periodically (or in CI)
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to catch new backports that need to land in the corpus:
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```bash
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tools/refresh-kernel-ranges.py # human report
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tools/refresh-kernel-ranges.py --json # machine-readable
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tools/refresh-kernel-ranges.py --patch # proposed C-source edits
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```
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## Acknowledgments
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Each module credits the original CVE reporter and PoC author in its
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`NOTICE.md`. SKELETONKEY is the bundling and bookkeeping layer;
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the research credit belongs to the people who found the bugs.
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## License
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MIT — see [`LICENSE`](LICENSE).
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