Challenge 53 ☆☆☆

Welcome to challenge Challenge 53. You need to guess the secret that is hidden in Java, Docker, Kubernetes, Vault, AWS or GCP.

Debugging Container Leak

Modern cloud environments often rely on debugging tools to troubleshoot issues in running applications. However, when debugging capabilities are left open in production, they can expose sensitive information.

A Kubernetes deployment has been misconfigured, allowing developers to attach a debugging container to a running application. Inside this pod, a binary holds a secret in memory. Normally, this secret would be protected, but due to the debugging access, it becomes retrievable.

Can you uncover the secret?

Answer to solution :

By default, the challenge runs without a debugging sidecar. Your goal is to analyze the binary running inside the pod and uncover the secret.

This challenge can be solved using the following steps:

  1. Deploy the challenge without the sidecar: ` kubectl apply -f k8s/challenge53/secret-challenge53.yml ` Verify that the pod is running: ` kubectl get pods `

  2. Realize that the pod alone does not provide debugging capabilities. Now, replace the deployment with one that includes a sidecar: ` kubectl apply -f k8s/challenge53/secret-challenge53-sidecar.yml `

  3. Run the debugging container attached to the running pod: ` kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -c sidecar — /bin/sh `

  4. Navigate to the shared directory where the binary is stored: ` cd /shared-data `

  5. Use gdb to inspect the binary and run it: ` gdb wrongsecrets-challenge53-c-linux run & `

  6. Locate the memory address of the secret: ` print &secret x/s <memory-address> `

By analyzing the memory, you will uncover the hardcoded secret stored within the binary.

Debugging Containers and Memory Secrets

Debugging tools are powerful, but when left available in production environments, they can expose sensitive information. This challenge highlights how an attacker with debugging access can retrieve secrets from memory using debugging techniques.

The scenario involves a Kubernetes pod running a compiled binary that holds a secret in memory. The binary is part of an application, but due to a misconfiguration, a debugging container can be attached to inspect it. This represents a real-world scenario where misconfigured debugging permissions can lead to security risks.

Organizations should be aware that: - Allowing unrestricted debugging tools in production environments increases the attack surface. - Secrets stored in memory can be extracted using debugging techniques. - Best practices include restricting debug permissions, using ephemeral secrets, and ensuring sensitive data is encrypted in memory.


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