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Introduction

Environment variables are used to store configuration settings and system information, such as paths to executable files, user preferences, and system directories. Common examples include PATH, HOME, and LD_LIBRARY_PATH.

Manipulating PATH

Aspect	Description
Definition	The PATH variable specifies the directories the shell searches for executable files.
Attack Method	By modifying PATH, an attacker can prioritize malicious binaries over legitimate ones.
Example	An attacker can create a malicious script named ls and place it in a directory they control. If they prepend this directory to the PATH, the system will execute their malicious script instead of the genuine ls command.

Exploiting LD_PRELOAD

Aspect	Description
Definition	LD_PRELOAD is used to load shared libraries before any others when a program is run.
Attack Method	An attacker can set LD_PRELOAD to a malicious library to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the target program.
Risk	This is particularly dangerous for setuid binaries (programs that run with elevated privileges).

Exploiting LD_LIBRARY_PATH

Aspect	Description
Definition	LD_LIBRARY_PATH specifies directories to search for shared libraries.
Attack Method	By adding a directory with malicious libraries to this variable, an attacker can manipulate which libraries are loaded, potentially executing malicious code.
Risk	This method can compromise the integrity and security of applications, especially those running with elevated privileges, leading to unauthorized actions and data breaches.