A code to check GNU base libc version and endianness.

Purpose: RE, Incident and Response or DFIR related, native limited CLI check tool pre IR analysis, small and fast.

in Japanese:

DFIRの皆さんが侵害されたLinuxシステムの標準GNU-C実行ライブラリ環境(glibc)とエンディアン情報を高速に検出するのに役立つ簡単なC言語でツールをコーディングしました。

ビットのチェックやOS predefined macroの認識のツールがいくつかありますけど、glibcバーションとエンディアンの CLIでのネイティブな直ぐにチェックが出来るツールが何故か見つかりませんでしたので、その原因でさくっと作りました。

一応GNU系のLinuxOS、Intel以外プロセッサーを搭載したサーバ、若しくは IoT や ICS 組み込み器械、特にホットフォレンジックと IR 対応プロセスの時に便利かと思います。コード的に珍しくはないですけど便利なので自分もよく使っていますし、そろそろ公開したほうがいいかと思いました。インシデントの対応する時にぜひ使って下さい。もし変更したい場合fork経由でお願いいたします。 #seccamp 2017-2019 ZトラックZ1コースの @unixfreaxjp

Requirement: gcc or cc

1. Manual compilation and run yourself the command (for offline system):

$ gcc check-gcc-endian.c -o check-gcc-endian
$ ./check-gcc-endian

Note: The build command is relatively short, if you only handle a system using this method is better than following second method.

2. If the system is connected to the internet and having make and git, you can automate the process into below copy paste of two liners:

git clone https://github.com/unixfreaxjp/glibcver-endian-checker.git
cd glibcver-endian-checker&&make&&./glibcver-endian-checker&&make clean;cd ..

Note: Without git, you can still modify the script by downloading as zip from this github or from your hosts. This method is useful if you deal with devices like IoT or other instruments in a network with the internet connection.

If you worry for included library size, omit static build, delete "-g" from Makefile line 4 & strip it (with option --strip-unneeded and/or --remove-section=.XXX) after manually built.

If you compiled it as per it as per above example, it will be a dynamically linked ELF w/symbols, and the size is about below (you can make it smaller using the advise above). With the Makefile it will be added with the debug symbols. Yet the size is relatively small enough to run it into small storage size. You can tweak it smaller too with assembly compilation but I will not cover it in here.

$ file glibcver-endian-checker
glibcver-endian-checker: ELF 32-bit MSB executable, PowerPC or cisco 4500, version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked (uses shared libs), for GNU/Linux 2.6.26, not stripped
$ ls -alF glibcver-endian-checker|cut{blah}
6210 May 20 16:51 glibcver-endian-checker*

nothing's fancy here, just a tool to help people in need, do not abuse.

The automation with git clone (2 lines of commands), it is fast enough :)

unixfreaxjp@powerpc:~/gittest$ date;git clone https://github.com/unixfreaxjp/glibcver-endian-checker.git
Thu May 21 02:13:01 UTC 2020
Cloning into 'glibcver-endian-checker'...
remote: Enumerating objects: 24, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (24/24), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (23/23), done.
remote: Total 24 (delta 5), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0
Unpacking objects: 100% (24/24), done.
unixfreaxjp@powerpc:~/gittest$ cd glibcver-endian-checker&&make&&./glibcver-endian-checker&&make clean;cd ..
gcc -g -o glibcver-endian-checker check-gcc-endian.c
Checked Glibc ver: 2.13
Checked Endian: BigEndian
rm -f glibcver-endian-checker *.o *~
unixfreaxjp@powerpc:~/gittest$ date
Thu May 21 02:13:14 UTC 2020
unixfreaxjp@powerpc:~/gittest$ 

Some testing results on various CPU Linux systems:

$ uname -smpio
Linux i686 unknown unknown GNU/Linux
$ gcc check-gcc-endian.c -o check-gcc-endian
$ ./check-gcc-endian
Checked Glibc ver: 2.19
Checked Endian: LittleEndian

----- snip ----

$ uname -snmpio
Linux armv5tejl unknown unknown GNU/Linux
$ ./check-gcc-endian
Checked Glibc ver: 2.22
Checked Endian: LittleEndian

----- snip ----

$ uname -smpio
Linux mips unknown unknown GNU/Linux
$ ./glibcver-endian-checker
Checked Glibc ver: 2.13
Checked Endian: BigEndian

----- snip ----

$ uname -smpio
Linux ppc unknown unknown GNU/Linux
$ ./glibcver-endian-checker
Checked Glibc ver: 2.13
Checked Endian: BigEndian
$
$
$ date
Thu May 21 00:35:58 JST 2020
$ # @unixfreaxjp
$

1. CPUプラットフォーム(arch)： arm32, arm64, arm64el, armel, mips, mips64el, ppc32, sparc32
2. テストしたglibc: >= 2.13

1. (追加機能として/as additional) pre-defined macro OS
2. GNU以外の対応 (other libc)

contact: @unixfreaxjp

WTFPL version 2