Analysis: Tcache under glibc 2.27 && Bypass double free

Patrick PengPatrick Peng
6 min read

Tcache Struct

To begin with,InGlibc 2.29, Tcache bin controlled by tcache_entry and tcache_perthread_struct:

tcache_entry

Glibc2.29Added Key,Which can help us finds out about Double Free

typedef struct tcache_entry
{
    struct tcache_entry *next;
     /* This field exists to detect double frees.  */
    struct tcache_perthread_struct *key;
} tcache_entry;

The tcache_entry structure is used to connect chunkunder and has a next pointer to the next Free Chunk of the same size.

Note that next points to the chunk's user data, while fastbin's fd points to the address at the beginning of the chunk.

tcache_perthread_struct

typedef struct tcache_perthread_struct
{
  char counts[TCACHE_MAX_BINS];             /*TCACHE_MAX_BINS = 64*/
  tcache_entry *entries[TCACHE_MAX_BINS];
} tcache_perthread_struct;

This structure is the same as it's name, in each thread will apply for a Chunk for the structure, his role is mainly to manage the entire Tcache Bin List

  • count[] records the number of Free Chunks on the tcache_entry chain, each entry can have up to 7 Chunks.

  • tcache_entry connects the Free Chunks through a unidirectional chain table.

How It Works?

started at malloc

__libc_malloc (size_t bytes)
{
  // codes............
  #if USE_TCACHE
      /* int_free also calls request2size, be careful to not pad twice.  */
      size_t tbytes;
      checked_request2size (bytes, tbytes);
      size_t tc_idx = csize2tidx (tbytes);
​
      MAYBE_INIT_TCACHE ();
      /*Call to MAYBE_INIT_TCACHE()*/

As we call malloc for the first time,we will enter MAYBE_INIT_TCACHE()to initalize

# define MAYBE_INIT_TCACHE() 
  if (__glibc_unlikely (tcache == NULL)) 
    tcache_init();

Tcache is first asserted here, and if Tcache does not exist, the tcache_init() function will be executed

tcache_init(void)
{
  mstate ar_ptr;
  void *victim = 0;
  const size_t bytes = sizeof (tcache_perthread_struct);
​
  if (tcache_shutting_down)
    return;
​
  arena_get (ar_ptr, bytes);
  victim = _int_malloc (ar_ptr, bytes);
  if (!victim && ar_ptr != NULL)
    {
      ar_ptr = arena_get_retry (ar_ptr, bytes);
      victim = _int_malloc (ar_ptr, bytes);
    }
​
​
  if (ar_ptr != NULL)
    __libc_lock_unlock (ar_ptr->mutex);
​
  /* In a low memory situation, we may not be able to allocate memory
     - in which case, we just keep trying later.  However, we
     typically do this very early, so either there is sufficient
     memory, or there isn't enough memory to do non-trivial
     allocations anyway.  */
  if (victim)
    {
      tcache = (tcache_perthread_struct *) victim;
      memset (tcache, 0, sizeof (tcache_perthread_struct));
    }
​
}

Here allocated tcache_perthread_struct

Continue from MAYBE_INIT_TCACHE

    DIAG_PUSH_NEEDS_COMMENT;
      if (tc_idx < mp_.tcache_bins
          /*&& tc_idx < TCACHE_MAX_BINS*/ /* to appease gcc */
          && tcache
          && tcache->entries[tc_idx] != NULL)
        {
          return tcache_get (tc_idx);
        }
      DIAG_POP_NEEDS_COMMENT;

First of all, we determine whether the tcache applied in tcache_init() is empty or not, and whether tcache->entries[tc_idx] is not empty or not; here we are mentioning the tc_idx, to show you the calculation method:

tc_idx calculation

malloc's definition of tc_idx is:

    size_t tbytes;
      checked_request2size (bytes, tbytes); 
    size_t tc_idx = csize2tidx (tbytes);

csize2tidx()'s definition && defining related variables:

#if USE_TCACHE
    /* When "x" is from chunksize().  */
    # define csize2tidx(x) (((x) - MINSIZE + MALLOC_ALIGNMENT - 1) / MALLOC_ALIGNMENT)/*x - 0x20 + 0x9 / 0x10*/
    /*Other's Required*/
    #define SIZE_SZ (sizeof (size_t))
    #define MALLOC_ALIGNMENT (2 * SIZE_SZ < __alignof__ (long double) \  /*64位返回False,32没有测过*/
              ? __alignof__ (long double) : 2 * SIZE_SZ)                /*返回 0x10*/#define MALLOC_ALIGN_MASK (MALLOC_ALIGNMENT - 1)
    /* The smallest possible chunk */
    #define MIN_CHUNK_SIZE        (offsetof(struct malloc_chunk, fd_nextsize)) /*0x20*//* The smallest size we can malloc is an aligned minimal chunk */
    #define MINSIZE  \
      (unsigned long)(((MIN_CHUNK_SIZE+MALLOC_ALIGN_MASK) & ~MALLOC_ALIGN_MASK)) /*(0x20 + 0x1f) & ~0x1f = 32*/#define request2size(req)                                         \
      (((req) + SIZE_SZ + MALLOC_ALIGN_MASK < MINSIZE)  ?             \
       MINSIZE :                                                      \
       ((req) + SIZE_SZ + MALLOC_ALIGN_MASK) & ~MALLOC_ALIGN_MASK)

tc_idx = size - 0x20 + 0x9 \ 0x10

We can also use how2heap to calculate it:

➜  calc ./calc_tca
This file doesn't demonstrate an attack, but calculates the tcache idx for a given chunk size.
The basic formula is as follows:
        IDX = (CHUNKSIZE - MINSIZE + MALLOC_ALIGNMENT - 1) / MALLOC_ALIGNMENT
        On a 64 bit system the current values are:
                MINSIZE: 0x20
                MALLOC_ALIGNMENT: 0x10
        So we get the following equation:
        IDX = (CHUNKSIZE - 0x11) / 0x10
​
BUT be AWARE that CHUNKSIZE is not the x in malloc(x)
It is calculated as follows:
        IF x + SIZE_SZ + MALLOC_ALIGN_MASK < MINSIZE(0x20) CHUNKSIZE = MINSIZE (0x20)
        ELSE: CHUNKSIZE = (x + SIZE_SZ + MALLOC_ALIGN_MASK) & ~MALLOC_ALIGN_MASK)
        => CHUNKSIZE = (x + 0x8 + 0xf) & ~0xf
​
​
[CTRL-C to exit] Please enter a size x (malloc(x)) in hex (e.g. 0x10): 0x10
​
TCache Idx: 0
[CTRL-C to exit] Please enter a size x (malloc(x)) in hex (e.g. 0x10): 0x25
​
TCache Idx: 1
[CTRL-C to exit] Please enter a size x (malloc(x)) in hex (e.g. 0x10): 0x23
​
TCache Idx: 1
[CTRL-C to exit] Please enter a size x (malloc(x)) in hex (e.g. 0x10): 0x40
​
TCache Idx: 3
[CTRL-C to exit] Please enter a size x (malloc(x)) in hex (e.g. 0x10):

tcache_put && tcache_get

static __always_inline void
tcache_put (mchunkptr chunk, size_t tc_idx)
{
  tcache_entry *e = (tcache_entry *) chunk2mem (chunk);
  assert (tc_idx < TCACHE_MAX_BINS);
​
  /* Mark this chunk as "in the tcache" so the test in _int_free will
     detect a double free.  */
  e->key = tcache;
\ 
​
  e->next = tcache->entries[tc_idx];
  tcache->entries[tc_idx] = e;
  ++(tcache->counts[tc_idx]);
}
​
/* Caller must ensure that we know tc_idx is valid and there's
   available chunks to remove.  */
static __always_inline void *
tcache_get (size_t tc_idx)
{
  tcache_entry *e = tcache->entries[tc_idx];
  assert (tc_idx < TCACHE_MAX_BINS);
  assert (tcache->entries[tc_idx] > 0);
  tcache->entries[tc_idx] = e->next;
  --(tcache->counts[tc_idx]);
  e->key = NULL;
  return (void *) e;
}

Two brothers tcache_put() and tcache_get(), respectively, to add to the Tcache Bin List and take out the Tcache Bin simple operation

About KeyTests

Under glibc2.29, New asserts targeting Double Free are written:

// #if USE_TCACHE
  {
    size_t tc_idx = csize2tidx (size);
    if (tcache != NULL && tc_idx < mp_.tcache_bins)
      {
    /* Check to see if it's already in the tcache.  */
    tcache_entry *e = (tcache_entry *) chunk2mem (p);
​
    /* This test succeeds on double free.  However, we don't 100%
       trust it (it also matches random payload data at a 1 in
       2^<size_t> chance), so verify it's not an unlikely
       coincidence before aborting.  */
    if (__glibc_unlikely (e->key == tcache))
      {
        tcache_entry *tmp;
        LIBC_PROBE (memory_tcache_double_free, 2, e, tc_idx);
        for (tmp = tcache->entries[tc_idx];
         tmp;
         tmp = tmp->next)
          if (tmp == e)
        malloc_printerr ("free(): double free detected in tcache 2");
        /* If we get here, it was a coincidence.  We've wasted a
           few cycles, but don't abort.  */
      }
​
    if (tcache->counts[tc_idx] < mp_.tcache_count)
      {
        tcache_put (p, tc_idx);
        return;
      }
      }
  }
// #endif

As you can see, Glibc does a traversal of the entire Tcache Bin List for the key==tcache case, which means that after free(), it will traverse to see if there are any identical chunks.

How To Bypass

If you are Double Free heavy fans, but feeling glibc2.29 sad about. in fact, there is a method of attack called House of Poortho

This discovery is found in picoctf previous year's topic found, the title is called zero2hero, this program has Off-By-Null, the main principle of it, probably the use of Off-By-Null overflow single byte, modify the size of the Chunk, resulting in the calculation of the tc_idx appeared in the different sizes, the address of the contents of the same Chunk this time, because it will be stored in different tcache->entries[tc_idx] chain, leading to traversal will not traverse to the same Chunk

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Written by

Patrick Peng
Patrick Peng