[ISN] Application and Host IDS Tools

From: InfoSec News (alerts@private)
Date: Thu Mar 22 2007 - 00:02:26 PST


Forwarded with permission from: Security UPDATE <Security_UPDATE (at) list.windowsitpro.com>

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=== CONTENTS ===================================================

IN FOCUS: Application and Host IDS Tools 

NEWS AND FEATURES
   - Windows 2003 SP2 Ready for Download
   - EldoS Provides Raw Disk Access for Vista and XP
   - New Coating System Contains Wireless Signals
   - Recent Security Vulnerabilities

GIVE AND TAKE
   - Security Matters Blog: Helios Lite--Rootkit Detector
   - FAQ: Vista BitLocker Safety
   - From the Forum: "Audit Privilege Use" Events
   - Tell Us About the Products You Love!
   - Share Your Security Tips

PRODUCTS
   - Encrypt Sensitive Files Before They Leave the Office

RESOURCES AND EVENTS

FEATURED WHITE PAPER

ANNOUNCEMENTS


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=== IN FOCUS: Application and Host IDS Tools ===================
   by Mark Joseph Edwards, News Editor, mark at ntsecurity / net

Many of you probably have some sort of intrusion detection system (IDS) 
in use on your network. Most tools of this sort operate either at the 
network border to monitor incoming traffic or on the internal network 
to monitor internal traffic. 

Recently I learned about two IDS tools that are a little bit different 
from a typical IDS. One runs inside an application, and the other is a 
host IDS that runs on servers or workstations. 

The first tool is called Firekeeper. It's an extension for Firefox that 
works similarly to Snort in that it uses a configurable set of rules to 
detect suspicious activity. Firekeeper is a relatively new tool and 
doesn't have the huge set of rules available that Snort does. 
Nevertheless, the base set of rules is a good starting point, and you 
can write your own rules with relative ease, especially if you're 
familiar with Snort. 

Because Firekeeper runs inside Firefox, naturally it's meant to detect 
intrusion attempts that would originate from Web content. The base set 
of rules detects suspicious JavaScript activity; abnormal behavior of 
Real Networks' RealPlayer, Microsoft Windows Media Player, and 
Nullsoft's Winamp controls; attempts to access email clients via file 
extension types; and more. Another benefit is that Firekeeper can 
inspect Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) traffic after it's decrypted by the 
browser, which a border IDS system might not be able to do. 

Overall, Firekeeper is a pretty good idea. If I understand correctly, 
the project was started by Jan Wrobel as part of Google's Summer of 
Code 2006. Since that time, it's come along nicely. You can check it 
out at the mozdev.org Web site (click the link below), where a link to 
a mailing list is also available. 
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4ECF8:57B62BBB09A69279B3BC89B410B48180

The second tool I learned about is OSSEC Host IDS (HIDS). OSSEC HIDS 
has two basic parts: the central server and the host monitors. The main 
server collects information from the host monitors, and the host 
monitors perform a variety of tasks. They can detect known rootkits and 
maintain file system integrity by keeping tabs on important system 
files. 

Another useful aspect is that OSSEC HIDS can monitor a variety of 
different logs, such as those generated by Apache, Squid, Snort, nmap, 
Windows, Microsoft IIS, Cisco VPN concentrators, and Cisco PIX 
firewalls. As you might expect, it can also deliver alerts to 
administrators via email messages or log entries, and it can actively 
respond to detected events based on your configuration settings. 

I installed OSSEC HIDS on a few systems and found that it's very easy 
to configure. Setting up the main server took about 20 minutes 
including reading the manual as I went along. Setting up the tool on 
the hosts was easier, but it did take a bit longer because the host 
settings vary depending on what's being monitored on the hosts. 

OSSEC HIDS is an open source tool and has been tested on OpenBSD, 
FreeBSD, Mac OS X, Slackware Linux, Debian GNU/Linux, SUSE Linux, 
Ubuntu, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora Core, Solaris, and AIX, as 
well as Windows XP and Windows 2000. You can check it out at the OSSEC 
Web site, where you'll find the manual along with other resources such 
as a wiki and an associated mailing list. 
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4ECFB:57B62BBB09A69279B3BC89B410B48180

===

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=== SECURITY NEWS AND FEATURES =================================

Windows 2003 SP2 Ready for Download
   Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 adds new features and tools, 
including WPA2 and improvements to IPsec. Be absolutely certain that 
you review the installation requirements and instructions. 
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4ECEA:57B62BBB09A69279B3BC89B410B48180

EldoS Provides Raw Disk Access for Vista and XP
   Security component maker EldoS announced the availability of 
RawDisk, a raw disk access driver for Windows Vista and Windows XP 
systems. Fortunately, the company won't make the product publicly 
available.
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4ECE9:57B62BBB09A69279B3BC89B410B48180

New Coating System Contains Wireless Signals
   EM-SEC Technologies announced the successful testing of its new 
liquid coating product designed to contain Wi-Fi signals. The EM-SEC 
Coating System also prevents leakage of signals from several other 
types of electronic devices.
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4ECED:57B62BBB09A69279B3BC89B410B48180

Recent Security Vulnerabilities
   If you subscribe to this newsletter, you also receive Security 
Alerts, which inform you about recently discovered security 
vulnerabilities. You can also find information about these 
discoveries at
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4ECE4:57B62BBB09A69279B3BC89B410B48180


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=== GIVE AND TAKE ==============================================

SECURITY MATTERS BLOG: Helios Lite--Rootkit Detector
   by Mark Joseph Edwards, http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4ECF2:57B62BBB09A69279B3BC89B410B48180

Can you ever have enough rootkit detectors? MIEL-Labs just released 
Helios Lite. Read more about it and get a link to download a copy in 
this blog article on our Web site! 
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4ECEB:57B62BBB09A69279B3BC89B410B48180

FAQ: Vista BitLocker Safety
   by John Savill, http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=4ECEF:57B62BBB09A69279B3BC89B410B48180 

Q: Does Windows Vista BitLocker Drive Encryption have a security 
vulnerability?

Find the answer at
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FROM THE FORUM: "Audit Privilege Use" Events 
   A forum participant wonders what events will be created if he selects 
Audit Privilege Use--Failures in the audit policy. All he can find are the 
three IDs that appear for successes: 576, 578, and 579. He's trying to 
determine if it's worth having the failures on in the audit policy. To join the 
discussion, go to
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=== PRODUCTS ===================================================
   by Renee Munshi, products@private

Encrypt Sensitive Files Before They Leave the Office
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decrypt the files when the users get to their destination and want to 
work with the files. GuardTheft can encrypt AutoCAD, ArcInfo, DNG, JPG, 
GIF, BMP, TIFF, MDI, PDF, DOC, TXT, PPT, and XLS files. The software 
uses the RC2 (128-bit) encryption algorithm and lets users make their 
key set unique by modifying the key set's 16 keys. A one-week free 
trial of GuardTheft is available. For more information, go to
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=== RESOURCES AND EVENTS =======================================
   For more security-related resources, visit
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=== FEATURED WHITE PAPER =======================================

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=== ANNOUNCEMENTS ==============================================

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