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HTB - LinkVortex Privilege Escalation AutoPwn Script

This is an automated privilege escalation script for the Hack The Box machine LinkVortex, which exploits an insecure sudo configuration and symbolic link processing vulnerability. Full write Up -> WriteUp.md

📋 Description

The target machine allows the user bob to run a script as root via sudo, which processes .png files and optionally displays their contents if a specific environment variable is set. By chaining symbolic links, it's possible to read sensitive files such as /root/.ssh/id_rsa.

This script automates the full escalation path:

  • Connects to the machine as bob via SSH
  • Creates a symlink chain to the root user's private SSH key
  • Executes the vulnerable script with the proper environment variable
  • Parses and saves the extracted private key
  • Connects as root using paramiko
  • Drops an interactive root shell

🧠 Requirements

  • Python 3.x
  • paramiko>=2.11.0
  • HTB VPN connection active
  • Known password for ssh user bob

⚙️ Usage

python3 autopwn_root.py --target 10.10.11.47 \
                        --user bob \
                        --password 'fibber-talented-worth' \

Arguments:

🔹 Required
  • --target
    IP address or hostname of the target machine.
    Example: --target 10.10.11.47
  • --user
    SSH username to connect as.
    Example: --user bob
  • --password
    Password for the SSH user.
    Example: --password 'fibber-talented-worth'
🔸 Optional
  • --script-path
    Full path to the vulnerable script on the target system.
    Default: /opt/ghost/clean_symlink.sh
    Example: --script-path /custom/path/to/clean_symlink.sh
  • --key-out
    Output filename for the extracted private key.
    Default: id_rsa_root
    Example: --key-out my_root_key.pem

🛠️ Features

✔️ Initial SSH connection as bob

✔️ Creation of a double symlink (id_rsa.txt ➜ /root/.ssh/id_rsa ➜ id_rsa.png)

✔️ Execution of the script using sudo CHECK_CONTENT=true ...

✔️ Output parsing to extract the private key

✔️ Saving the key as id_rsa_root

✔️ New SSH connection as root

✔️ Interactive root shell using paramiko.invoke_shell()