Add Windows Time Provider persistence module#21522
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Adds a new persistence module that registers a custom Time Provider DLL under the W32Time service registry key. The service loads the DLL at startup, providing persistence across reboots. Requires Administrator or SYSTEM privileges. Fixes rapid7#20825
jvoisin
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Jun 1, 2026
| 'Emanuele Cervelli', | ||
| ], | ||
| 'Platform' => [ 'win' ], | ||
| 'Arch' => [ARCH_X64, ARCH_X86], |
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Isn't it arch-independent-ish? Windows runs on ARM as well now :)
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| stop_result = service_stop('W32Time') | ||
| start_result = service_start('W32Time') | ||
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| if stop_result.zero? && start_result.zero? | ||
| print_good('W32Time service restarted successfully') | ||
| else | ||
| print_warning("Unable to restart W32Time cleanly (stop=#{stop_result}, start=#{start_result}).") | ||
| end |
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lib/msf/core/post/windows/services.rb has a service_restart method
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That's good to know, thanks.
Refactor the W32Time persistence module to utilize the built-in Msf::Post::Windows::Services#service_restart method. This replaces the custom `restart_w32time` helper function.
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Adds a new persistence module that registers a custom Time Provider DLL under the W32Time service registry key. The service loads the DLL at startup, providing persistence across reboots. Requires Administrator or SYSTEM privileges.
Fixes #20825
Verification
msfconsoleuse exploit/windows/persistence/time_providerset SESSION [SESSION]runThe classic technique as described in several blogs only registers the DLL under W32Time, resulting in a LocalService shell. I modified the ObjectName registry key to LocalSystem, granting an immediate SYSTEM shell upon reboot and allowing the payload to execute reliably from any directory.