Shell shoveling, in network security, is the act of redirecting the input and output of a shell to a service so that it can be remotely accessed, a remote shell.[1]
In computing, the most basic method of interfacing with the operating system is the shell. On Microsoft Windows based systems, this is a program called cmd.exe or COMMAND.COM. On Unix or Unix-like systems, it may be any of a variety of programs such as bash, ksh, etc. This program accepts commands typed from a prompt and executes them, usually in real time, displaying the results to what is referred to as standard output, usually a monitor or screen.
In the shell shoveling process, one of these programs is set to run (perhaps silently or without notifying someone observing the computer) accepting input from a remote system and redirecting output to the same remote system; therefore the operator of the shoveled shell is able to operate the computer as if they were present at the console.[2]
See also
- Console redirection
- CTTY (DOS command)
- Serial over LAN redirection (SOL)
- Remote Shell
References
- ↑ McClure, Stuart; Scambray, Joel (2000-03-20). "'Inside-out' security pays attention to your revealing, vulnerable outbound traffic". Platforms & Infrastructure. InfoWorld. Vol. 22, no. 12. IDG. p. 49. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ↑ Tipton, Harold "Hal" F.; Krause, Micki (2007). Information Security Management Handbook (6 ed.). CRC Press. p. 2839. ISBN 978-1-4200-1358-0.
Further reading
- Kanclirz, Jan (2008). Netcat Power Tools. Syngress. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-59749-257-7. Archived from the original on 2013-10-02.