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a95ef3c1f6
Prepping to release v0.5.0. Fixed some obvious errors in workflow and updated documentation to refer to `pwncat-cs` instead of `pwncat` entrypoint.
208 lines
9.9 KiB
ReStructuredText
208 lines
9.9 KiB
ReStructuredText
Basic Usage
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===========
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There are two main operating modes while interacting with a victim in pwncat: remote and local. At any
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given time, the prompt will include either ``(local)`` or ``(remote)`` to indicate the current mode.
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When using local mode, you have access to pwncat-specific commands such as upload, download, use, run
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and exit. In remote mode, you will have access to a platform-specific shell environment (e.g. bash or
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powershell).
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To toggle between these modes, you can use the ``C-d`` key combination. This combination is intercepted
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by pwncat before being sent to the target when in remote mode. If you need to send a ``C-d``
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combination directly to the target, you can use the ``C-k`` prefix. Prefixing ``C-d`` or ``C-k`` with
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``C-k`` will tell pwncat to send the literaly ``C-d`` or ``C-k`` sequence to the target.
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Command Line Interface and Start-up Sequence
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--------------------------------------------
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pwncat provides an entrypoint script which allows you to enter an unconnected pwncat prompt and
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optionally immediately connect to a victim. The syntax for the pwncat entrypoint is largely identical
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to the pwncat ``connect`` command. The arguments/syntax is described in the sections below.
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In order to establish a connection, you must specify all needed channel arguments as well as specify
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a platform name (e.g. ``linux`` or ``windows``). If no platform is specified, it is assumed to be
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linux. This can cause hangs if connected to the incorrect platform.
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C2 Channels
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-----------
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pwncat allows the use of a few different C2 channels when connecting to a victim. Originally, pwncat
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wrapped a raw socket much like ``netcat`` with some extra features. As the framework was expanded, we have
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moved toward abstracting this command and control layer away from the core pwncat features to allow
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more ways of connection. Currently, only raw sockets and ``ssh`` are implemented. You can connect to a victim
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with three different C2 protocols: ``bind``, ``connect``, and ``ssh``. The first two act like netcat. These
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modes simply open a raw socket and assume there is a shell on the other end. In SSH mode, we legitimately
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authenticate to the victim host with provided credentials and utilize the SSH shell channel as our C2 channel.
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pwncat also implements SSL-wrapped versions of ``bind`` and ``connect`` protocols aptly named ``ssl-bind``
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and ``ssl-connect``. These protocols function largely the same as bind/connect, except that they operate
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over an encrypted SSL tunnel. You must use an encrypted bind or reverse shell on the victim side such
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as ``ncat --ssl`` or `socat OPENSSL-LISTEN:`.
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pwncat exposes these different C2 channel protocols via the ``protocol`` field of the connection string
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discussed below.
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Connecting to a Victim
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----------------------
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Connecting to a victim is accomplished through a connection string. Connection strings are versatile ways
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to describe the parameters to a specific C2 Channel/Protocol. This looks something like:
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``[protocol://][user[:password]]@[host:][port][?arg1=value&arg2=value]``
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Each field in the connection string translates to a parameter passed to the C2 channel. Some channels don't
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require all the parameters. For example, a ``bind`` or ``connect`` channel doesn't required a username or
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a password. If there is not an explicit argument or parsed value within the above format, you can use the
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query string arguments to specify arbitrary channel arguments. You cannot specify the same argument twice
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(e.g. ``connect://hostname:1111?port=4444``).
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If the ``protocol`` field is not specified, pwncat will attempt to figure out the correct protocol
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contextually. The following rules apply:
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- If a user and host are provided, assume ``ssh`` protocol
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- If no user is provided but a host, port and the ``--ssl`` argument, assume protocol is ``ssl-connect``
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- If no user is provided but a host and port are provided and no ``--ssl``, assume protocol is ``connect``
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- If no user or host is provided (or host is ``0.0.0.0``) and the ``certfile``, ``keyfile``, or
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``--ssl`` arguments are provided, protocol is assumed to be ``ssl-bind``
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- If no user or host is provided (or host is ``0.0.0.0``), protocol is assumed to be ``bind``
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- If a second positional integer parameter is specified and ``--ssl`` is not, the protocol is assumed
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to be ``connect``
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- If a second positional integer parameter is specified and ``--ssl`` is provided, the protocol is
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assumed to be ``ssl-connect``
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- If the ``-l`` parameter is used and the ``certfile``, ``keyfile``, or ``--ssl`` arguments are
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provided, the protocol is assumed to be ``ssl-bind``.
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- If the ``-l`` parameter is used alone, then the protocol is assumed to be ``bind``
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Connecting to a victim bind shell
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---------------------------------
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In this case, the victim is running a raw bind shell on an open port. The victim must be available at an
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address which is routable (e.g. not NAT'd). The ``connect`` protocol provides this capability.
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.. code-block:: bash
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:caption: Connecting to a bind shell at 1.1.1.1:4444
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# netcat syntax
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pwncat-cs 192.168.1.1 4444
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# Full connection string
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pwncat-cs connect://192.168.1.1:4444
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# Connection string with assumed protocol
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pwncat-cs 192.168.1.1:4444
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Connecting to a victim encrypted bind shell
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-------------------------------------------
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In this case, the victim is running a ssl-wrapped bind shell on an open port. The victim must be available at an
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address which is routable (e.g. not NAT'd). The ``ssl-connect`` protocol provides this capability.
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.. code-block:: bash
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:caption: Connecting to a bind shell at 1.1.1.1:4444
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# Full connection string
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pwncat-cs connect://192.168.1.1:4444
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# ncat style syntax
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pwncat-cs --ssl 192.168.1.1 4444
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pwncat-cs --ssl 192.168.1.1:4444
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Catching a victim reverse shell
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-------------------------------
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In this case, the victim was exploited in such a way that they open a connection to your attacking host
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on a specific port with a raw shell open on the other end. Your attacking host must be routable from the
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victim machine. This mode is accessed via the ``bind`` protocol.
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.. code-block:: bash
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:caption: Catching a reverse shell
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# netcat syntax
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pwncat-cs -lp 4444
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# Full connection string
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pwncat-cs bind://0.0.0.0:4444
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# Assumed protocol
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pwncat-cs 0.0.0.0:4444
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# Assumed protocol, assumed bind address
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pwncat-cs :4444
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Catching a victim encrypted reverse shell
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-----------------------------------------
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In this case, the victim was exploited in such a way that they open an ssl connection to your attacking host
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on a specific port with a raw shell open on the other end. Your attacking host must be routable from the
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victim machine. This mode is accessed via the ``ssl-bind`` protocol.
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If the explicit ``ssl-bind`` protocol or the ``--ssl`` argument is provided without an explicit certfile
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or keyfile, a self-signed certificate is generated with dummy attributes. The certfile and keyfile can
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both point to the same bundled PEM file if both the key and certificate are present.
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.. code-block:: bash
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:caption: Catching a reverse shell
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# ncat style syntax
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pwncat-cs --ssl --ssl-cert cert.pem --ssl-key cert.pem -lp 4444
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# Full connection string
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pwncat-cs ssl-bind://0.0.0.0:4444?certfile=/path/to/cert.pem&keyfile=/path/to/key.pem
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# Auto-generated self-signed certificate
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pwncat-cs --ssl -lp 4444
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# Auto-generated self-signed certificate with explicit protocol
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pwncat-cs ssl-bind://0.0.0.0:4444
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Connecting to a Remote SSH Server
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---------------------------------
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If you were able to obtain a valid password or private key for a remote user, you can initiate a pwncat
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session with the remote host over SSH. This mode is accessed via the ``ssh`` protocol. A note about
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protocol assumptions: if there is an installed persistence method for a given user, then specifying only
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a user and host will first try reconnecting via that persistence method. Afterwards, an ssh connection
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will be attempted. If you don't want this behavior, you should explicitly specify ``ssh://`` for your
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protocol.
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.. code-block:: bash
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:caption: Connection to a remote SSH server
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# SSH style syntax (assumed protocol, prompted for password)
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pwncat-cs root@192.168.1.1
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# Full connection string with password
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pwncat-cs "ssh://root:r00t5P@ssw0rd@192.168.1.1"
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# SSH style syntax w/ identity file
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pwncat-cs -i ./root_id_rsa root@192.168.1.1
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Connecting to a Windows Target
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------------------------------
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All of the above examples can also be used to connect to Windows targets as long as you explicitly specify
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a platform during invocation. For example, to connect to a Windows bind shell at ``192.168.1.1:4444``:
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.. code-block:: bash
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:caption: Connect to Windows bind shell
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# netcat syntax
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pwncat-cs -m windows 192.168.1.1 4444
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# Full connection string
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pwncat-cs -m windows connect://192.168.1.1:4444
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# Connection string with assumed protocol
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pwncat-cs -m windows 192.168.1.1:4444
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Reconnecting to a victim
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------------------------
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pwncat has the capability to install, track, and remove persistent implants on a target. If you had a
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previous connect to a target, and installed a persistent implant, you can use the pwncat entrypoint
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to list available implants and attempt to reconnect to a given target. Reconnecting can be accomplished
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with either the IP address or unique host ID of a target.
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.. code-block:: bash
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:caption: List Installed Persistent Implants
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pwncat-cs --list
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pwncat will attempt to reconnect to a host automatically if needed. Specifically, if no explicit protocol,
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port, identity or password is specified, pwncat assumes you would like to be reconnected to the specified
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host and attempts to reconnect via a matching implant prior to attempting direct connection.
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.. code-block:: bash
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:caption: Reconnecting to a known host
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# Attempt reconnection as any user; specify host ID
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pwncat-cs 999c434fe6bd7383f1a6cc10f877644d
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# Attempt reconnection first as the specified user
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pwncat-cs user@192.168.1.1
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