Since 7.9p1 does not have advanced rate limiting built-in (compared to modern MaxAuthTries defaults), attackers use hydra or medusa to brute force weak passwords. Result: Low-privileged user shell (e.g., user www-data or johnny ).
The OpenSSH 7.9p1 exploit specifically targets a flaw in the way OpenSSH handles certain configurations and inputs. This flaw can lead to a buffer overflow or a similar condition, which an attacker could leverage to execute malicious code. The technical details are complex and involve a deep understanding of the SSH protocol, C programming, and the specific implementation details of OpenSSH.
Penetration testers targeting a server running OpenSSH 7.9p1 do not use a single magic script. They use a chain.
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