abusing iexpress - creating pop-ups, starting hidden process
Posted: 09 Sep 2014 08:02
If you start the iexpress it will offer you to create a selfextractable installer ( or a cab file or something like that).
If you point out and .exe to be compressed you'll have some interesting options "Prompt" , "Package Title" , "display license" , "Install Program" , "Post install command" , "Hidden Winow" ,"Finished Message".
In brief - iexpress creates installation file with possibility of 3 pop-up messages - confirmation,license agreement,and one for the final.
Also - it allows you to run one of the executables at the end with custom parameters ,and more importantly in background hidden mod.
Iexpress also has command line interface - it accepts an .ini (it's called sed) file with the options available in the UI.
So JFF I've created two scripts one that provides pop-up messages and one that starts a hidden process.As it's part of windows for a long time it will work every machine from XP and above
1.Pop-up messages - as it wants to run an executable after the installation I've choose subst without parameters and in hidden mode - it will do nothing ,and will do it fast so you'll see only the pop-ups:
2.Starting a hidden process - this time there are no pop-ups .And the packed executable is the cmd.exe itself - It will be ran after the installation with some arguments (in this case pause) .You'll be able to see the new cmd instance in the task manager:
Edit - Every run of created exe files creates a folder like %tmp%\ixp???.tmp and now I've added a code for deletion.
EDIT - Starting a hidden process in fact does not work as expected .PostInstallCmd= concerns actions after the installation.Can be worked as it should be with additional .inf file and I'm working on it.
If you point out and .exe to be compressed you'll have some interesting options "Prompt" , "Package Title" , "display license" , "Install Program" , "Post install command" , "Hidden Winow" ,"Finished Message".
In brief - iexpress creates installation file with possibility of 3 pop-up messages - confirmation,license agreement,and one for the final.
Also - it allows you to run one of the executables at the end with custom parameters ,and more importantly in background hidden mod.
Iexpress also has command line interface - it accepts an .ini (it's called sed) file with the options available in the UI.
So JFF I've created two scripts one that provides pop-up messages and one that starts a hidden process.As it's part of windows for a long time it will work every machine from XP and above
1.Pop-up messages - as it wants to run an executable after the installation I've choose subst without parameters and in hidden mode - it will do nothing ,and will do it fast so you'll see only the pop-ups:
Code: Select all
;@echo off
;set message1=message1
;set message1_title=message1_title
;set "license_file=%~f0"
;set ppopup_executable=popupe.exe
;set message2=message2
;
;copy /y "%~f0" "%temp%\popup.sed"
;(echo(InstallPrompt=%message1%)>>"%temp%\popup.sed"
;(echo(DisplayLicense=%license_file%)>>"%temp%\popup.sed"
;(echo(FinishMessage=%message2%)>>"%temp%\popup.sed";
;(echo(TargetName=%cd%\%ppopup_executable%)>>"%temp%\popup.sed";
;(echo(FriendlyName=%message1_title%)>>"%temp%\popup.sed"
;
;iexpress /n /q /m %temp%\popup.sed
;popupe.exe
;for /d %%# in ("%tmp%\ixp???.tmp") do rd /s /q "%%#"
;del /q /f "%temp%\popup.sed"
;exit /b 0
[Version]
Class=IEXPRESS
SEDVersion=3
[Options]
PackagePurpose=InstallApp
ShowInstallProgramWindow=1
HideExtractAnimation=1
UseLongFileName=0
InsideCompressed=0
CAB_FixedSize=0
CAB_ResvCodeSigning=0
RebootMode=N
InstallPrompt=%InstallPrompt%
DisplayLicense=%DisplayLicense%
FinishMessage=%FinishMessage%
TargetName=%TargetName%
FriendlyName=%FriendlyName%
AppLaunched=%AppLaunched%
PostInstallCmd=%PostInstallCmd%
AdminQuietInstCmd=%AdminQuietInstCmd%
UserQuietInstCmd=%UserQuietInstCmd%
SourceFiles=SourceFiles
[SourceFiles]
SourceFiles0=C:\Windows\System32\
[SourceFiles0]
%FILE0%=
[Strings]
AppLaunched=subst.exe
PostInstallCmd=<None>
AdminQuietInstCmd=
UserQuietInstCmd=
FILE0="subst.exe"
2.Starting a hidden process - this time there are no pop-ups .And the packed executable is the cmd.exe itself - It will be ran after the installation with some arguments (in this case pause) .You'll be able to see the new cmd instance in the task manager:
Code: Select all
;@echo off
;set "hidden.starter=hiddener.exe"
;set "hidden.command=/c pause"
;
;copy /y "%~f0" "%temp%\hid.sed"
;(echo(PostInstallCmd=%hidden.command%)>>"%temp%\hid.sed"
;(echo(TargetName=%cd%\%hidden.starter%)>>"%temp%\hid.sed"
;
;iexpress /n /q /m %temp%\hid.sed
;hiddener.exe
;for /d %%# in ("%tmp%\ixp???.tmp") do rd /s /q "%%#"
;del /q /f "%temp%\hid.sed"
;exit /b 0
[Version]
Class=IEXPRESS
SEDVersion=3
[Options]
PackagePurpose=InstallApp
ShowInstallProgramWindow=1
HideExtractAnimation=1
UseLongFileName=0
InsideCompressed=0
CAB_FixedSize=0
CAB_ResvCodeSigning=0
RebootMode=N
InstallPrompt=%InstallPrompt%
DisplayLicense=%DisplayLicense%
FinishMessage=%FinishMessage%
TargetName=%TargetName%
FriendlyName=%FriendlyName%
AppLaunched=%AppLaunched%
PostInstallCmd=%PostInstallCmd%
AdminQuietInstCmd=%AdminQuietInstCmd%
UserQuietInstCmd=%UserQuietInstCmd%
SourceFiles=SourceFiles
[SourceFiles]
SourceFiles0=C:\Windows\System32\
[SourceFiles0]
%FILE0%=
[Strings]
InstallPrompt=
DisplayLicense=
FinishMessage=
FriendlyName=hidden
AppLaunched=cmd.exe
AdminQuietInstCmd=
UserQuietInstCmd=
FILE0="cmd.exe"
;PostInstallCmd=/c pause
;TargetName=Edit - Every run of created exe files creates a folder like %tmp%\ixp???.tmp and now I've added a code for deletion.
EDIT - Starting a hidden process in fact does not work as expected .PostInstallCmd= concerns actions after the installation.Can be worked as it should be with additional .inf file and I'm working on it.
