Upgrading TTY

When we establish a reverse shell, it is often very limited in functionality and prone to breaking.

Basic features like command history navigation (using up/down arrows) or autocomplete may not work. To resolve these limitations, we can upgrade our TTY using the python or stty method.

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to do this.

1. Spawn a TTY Shell
Run this in the reverse shell:

python3 -c 'import pty; pty.spawn("/bin/bash")'

2. Adjust Terminal Settings

• Suspend the shell: Ctrl+Z

• In your local terminal, run:

    stty raw -echo  
    fg  
    [Press Enter Twice]  
  

3. Fix Terminal Size (Optional)

• In a local terminal:

    echo $TERM          # e.g., xterm-256color  
    stty size           # e.g., 38 116  
  

• Back in the reverse shell, set:

    export TERM=xterm-256color  
    stty rows 38 columns 116  
  

You now have a fully interactive TTY shell with command history, autocomplete, and full terminal features.

Reference: Ropnop Blog