FreeBSD 2.2.5 Security problem

From: Missouri FreeNet Administration (measlat_private)
Date: Sat Jan 02 1999 - 14:14:22 PST

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    Greetings, how is everyone after the 30 day pig-out? ;-0
    
    We originally posted this problem to the FreeBSD GNATS system on
    December 20th, and still haven't heard so much as an acknowledgement
    of the report (GNATS#: i386/9141).  I figured with the holidays, they
    were all busy, and would [eventually] get to it, but today I checked
    and saw that several GNATS reports on either side of this one (some
    as recent as today) have been looked at, processed, and even closed!
    So...
    
    FreeBSD 2.2.5-R (other rev's not tested) fail to log penetration attempts
    on quiescent systems properly when using syslog (to any target).  Failed
    login attempts (*any* number of them) will not be reported until a user name
    which is *different* from the failed name is entered.  For example, I can
    attempt to penetrate the root password *all day long* without getting a
    syslog report, provided a name other than root is not entered.  The reson
    for this is that there is an attempt to de-verbosify syslog reporting in
    FBSD which accumulates a counter for events, and then reports a cumulative
    total.  In this attempt to save verbiage, they are tallying all the failed
    attempts, *rather* than *reporting* them!
    
    This is (obviously) not going to be an issue on a busy system, as
    *someone* other than the target account is likely to log in and flush the
    counter report, but on a selected system, such as a name server, this
    could be a devastating flaw...
    
    
    Yours,
    J.A. Terranson
    sysadminat_private
    
    --
    If Governments really want us to behave like civilized human beings, they
    should give serious consideration towards setting a better example:
    Ruling by force, rather than consensus; the unrestrained application of
    unjust laws (which the victim-populations were never allowed input on in
    the first place); the State policy of justice only for the rich and
    elected; the intentional abuse and occassionally destruction of entire
    populations merely to distract an already apathetic and numb electorate...
    This type of demogoguery must surely wipe out the fascist United States
    as surely as it wiped out the fascist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
    
    The views expressed here are mine, and NOT those of my employers,
    associates, or others.  Besides, if it *were* the opinion of all of
    those people, I doubt there would be a problem to bitch about in the
    first place...
    --------------------------------------------------------------------
    



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