Research Update Enhanced src/binary-exploitation/rop-return-...

[carlospolop]

🤖 Automated Content Update

This PR was automatically generated by the HackTricks News Bot based on a technical blog post.

📝 Source Information

• Blog URL:
• Blog Title: Research Update Enhanced src/binary-exploitation/rop-return-oriented-programing/ret2lib/ret2lib-printf-leak-arm64.md
• Suggested Section: Research

🎯 Content Summary

Research Update for src/binary-exploitation/rop-return-oriented-programing/ret2lib/ret2lib-printf-leak-arm64.md

This PR contains automated research updates including:

• Latest security vulnerabilities and attack vectors
• Updated techniques and tools
• Enhanced explanations and examples
• Additional references and resources

Generated by: HackTricks Research Agent
Timestamp: 2026-04-17 03:27:17 UTC

Tool usage

• brave_search: 8
• exec: 21
• search_google_web: 6
• task_steps_...

🔧 Technical Details

Research update for HackTricks content

🤖 Agent Actions

I’m reading the target page and nearby binary-exploitation content first, then I’ll branch into current AArch64-specific research so the update stays technical and non-duplicative.
The page is narrowly focused already, so I’m checking adjacent ret2lib/ARM64 pages now to avoid repeating generic libc-leak material and to identify what this page is missing specifically for AArch64 exploitation.
I’ve isolated the gap: the current page lacks modern AArch64 constraints and workflow notes, especially branch protection, argument-register setup, and reliability details around stack leaks. I’m now pulling recent primary writeups and practical exploit walkthroughs to ground those additions.
The first fetch attempt failed because bs4 isn’t installed in the environment. I’m switching to plain requests plus lightweight HTML stripping so I can keep pulling the source material without adding dependencies.
I have enough material now to write a focused update: modern AArch64 branch-protection caveats, calling-convention/stack-alignment notes, and a clearer explanation of why the ldr/ldp/ret gadget pattern is so common on this architecture. I’m extracting the exact details I want to preserve before editing the page.
The draft is set. I’m applying a narrow edit to the target page now: keeping the two existing exploitation flows intact, but updating the setup and notes around modern AArch64 behavior so the page stays usable on current toolchains and labs.
The file is updated. I’m doing a verification pass now to catch markdown issues, confirm the final section order, and make sure the additions stayed scoped to this page instead of bleeding generic ret2libc content back into it.
One verification issue showed up: the rewritten Python snippet picked up a literal newline inside sendlineafter. I’m correcting that now and then I’ll do one final diff check.
Updated /tmp/hacktricks_update_54fqfca2/repo/src/binary-exploitation/rop-return-oriented-programing/ret2lib/ret2lib-printf-leak-arm64.md in place.

The changes were deliberately narrow and AArch64-specific: I added modern PAC/BTI caveats and -mbranch-protection=none to the compile examples, documented quick checks with readelf/objdump, added a short AArch64 ROP reminder section for x0-x7, x30, and 16-byte sp alignment, noted a practical qemu-aarch64 + gdb-multiarch workflow, and clarified that %21$p / %25$p are build-dependent leak positions rather than universal offsets. I also fixed the existing “rooper” typo to ropper, added context.arch = 'aarch64' in both pwntools snippets, and added a final ## References section at the end.

I verified the edit with sed and git diff, and corrected one newline-escaping issue introduced during the first write pass.

URLs used during research:

• https://8ksec.io/arm64-reversing-and-exploitation-part-7-bypassing-aslr-and-nx/
• https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/AArch64-Options.html
• https://scavengersecurity.com/posts/wpictf-strong_arm/
• https://blog.perfect.blue/ROPing-on-Aarch64
• https://book.hacktricks.wiki/en/binary-exploitation/stack-overflow/ret2win/ret2win-arm64.html
• https://book.hacktricks.wiki/en/binary-exploitation/rop-return-oriented-programing/ret2lib/ret2lib-printf-leak-arm64.html
• https://ctftime.org/writeup/27929
• https://developer.arm.com/community/arm-community-blogs/b/architectures-and-processors-blog/posts/enabling-pac-and-bti-on-aarch64

The two references actually added to the HackTricks file are:

• https://8ksec.io/arm64-reversing-and-exploitation-part-7-bypassing-aslr-and-nx/
• https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/AArch64-Options.html

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This PR was automatically created by the HackTricks Feed Bot. Please review the changes carefully before merging.

📚 Repository Maintenance

• MD files processed: 972
• MD files fixed: 1

All .md files have been checked for proper formatting (headers, includes, etc.).

[carlospolop]

🔗 Additional Context

Original Blog Post:

Content Categories: Based on the analysis, this content was categorized under "Research".

Repository Maintenance:

• MD Files Formatting: 972 files processed (1 files fixed)

Review Notes:

• This content was automatically processed and may require human review for accuracy
• Check that the placement within the repository structure is appropriate
• Verify that all technical details are correct and up-to-date
• All .md files have been checked for proper formatting (headers, includes, etc.)

Bot Version: HackTricks News Bot v1.0