Re: Checkpoint FW-1 identification

From: Jochen Bauer (jtbat_private-STUTTGART.DE)
Date: Sat Jul 17 1999 - 04:17:21 PDT

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    On Fri, Jul 16, 1999 at 08:26:52AM -0000, Tim Hirst wrote:
    > Hi all,
    >
    > This is not a bug but is instead a common procedural error.
    > If a remote attacker performs a port scan on a network and
    > finds a machine with ports 256, 257, and 258 open then it is
    > a sure bet that they are running a Checkpoint FW-1 firewall.
    
    Such a kind of firewall identification method also exists for AltaVista
    Firewall (at least for Firewall97). In the default configuration there
    are "traps" listening on ports 26/tcp, 27/tcp, 28/tcp and 29/tcp.
    
    /etc/services:
    [...]
    ftp             21/tcp
    telnet          23/tcp
    strafe1         26/tcp
    strafe2         27/tcp
    strafe3         28/tcp
    strafe4         29/tcp
    smtp            25/tcp
    time            37/tcp
    [...]
    
    If one connects to one of these ports, they generate the event of a
    "connection attempt on unused port". As these "traps" are started by
    inetd when a connection attempt occurs
    
    /etc/inetd.conf
    [...]
    strafe1   stream  tcp  nowait  root     /usr/dfws/etc/strafe      strafe
    strafe2   stream  tcp  nowait  root     /usr/dfws/etc/strafe      strafe
    strafe3   stream  tcp  nowait  root     /usr/dfws/etc/strafe      strafe
    strafe4   stream  tcp  nowait  root     /usr/dfws/etc/strafe      strafe
    [...]
    
    one can do a stealth scan on those ports to identify AltaVista Firewalls
    (you know what to try next, don't you?) without the firewall detecting
    the scan.
    
    
    Jochen Bauer
    
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