Root> There are two vulnerabilities in FW-1. The first is an authentication issue, the other is a configuration issue. Since I don't have a copy of 4.x FW-1 handy maybe someone can check it for me. #1 The basic authentication used in Checkpoint FW-1 used for inside/outbound and outside/inbound allows unlimited attempts to authenticate without a timeout or disconnect between unsuccessful attempts. To make matters worse, the attempt at authentication will let you know if you have the wrong username before you are allowed to enter in the passsword. The exploit is trivial, grind away at user names until you hit one that works and then grind away at passwords with the username you just found until you find one that works. For an example of this, set authentication on the FW-1 software to authenticate telnet connections. Telent to a destination past the firewall, when prompted for a username, pound away. A script could crack the authentication in a very short time. The workaround is to use Checkpoint's encrypted authentication program "SecuRemote" and not allow clear text authentication (browser based, telnet, etc.) to destinations beyond the firewall. Surely this work around doesn't work. Unless I am mistaken, it matters not whether you use the encrypted method or not. The problem is the authentication can be brute force until the cows come home. Using encryption isn't the key, logging failed attempts and account closure would be better, along with not hinting at usernames too! Whether the authentication method does this anti brute force check I as yet do not know. Cheers r. Richard Scott BestBuy.Com * Best Buy World Headquarters 7075 Flying Cloud Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55344 USA The views expressed in this email do not represent Best Buy or any of its subsidiaries.
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