Re: Novell BorderManager 3.5 Remote Slow Death

From: Michael R. Rudel (mrrat_private)
Date: Wed Feb 09 2000 - 13:00:41 PST

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    I have confirmed it is also an issue with BorderManager 3.0 on NetWare
    5d (I think it's service pack 4, don't remeber. :P).
    
    It replicates both the CPU usage and the high memory usage. I have also
    verified you don't need to keep the offending telnet session open to
    continue hosing the server.
    
    That NLM is part of the DNS/DHCP package. It's function is to log DNS and
    DHCP events from clients. Our solution was to simply firewall port 2000
    from non-localhost traffic. Simple, easy, and effective.
    
     On Thu, 10 Feb 2000, Matthew Firth wrote:
    
    > The issue also affects BorderManager 3.0 (sp2)
    > running on NetWare 4.11 sp6a.  I was able to
    > replicate the memory allocation error but have not
    > had any luck with obtaining the high CPU
    > utilisation.
    >
    > Again, csatpxy.nlm is loaded by default on this
    > system and unloading it stopped the memory
    > allocation errors.
    >
    >
    > matthew
    >
    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: Chicken Man [mailto:chicknmonat_private]
    > Sent: Wednesday, 9 February 2000 11:59
    > Subject: Novell BorderManager 3.5 Remote Slow
    > Death
    >
    >
    > On a (default) installation of BorderManager 3.5
    > sp1, spc02 running on
    > NetWare 5.0 sp3a with nici 1.3.1, telnet to port
    > 2000 on the firewall (on
    > either the public or private interfaces) and hit
    > enter a few times.
    > Utilization will jump (to 67% on our systems), and
    > the console will
    > immediately report an error similar to the
    > following:
    >
    > 1-27-2000   9:34:47 am:   SERVER-5.0-830
    > [nmID=2000A]
    >     Short Term Memory Allocator is out of Memory.
    >     1 attempts to get more memory failed.
    >
    > The telnet session will not disconnect, unless you
    > manually close the
    > connection. Over the course of two days (every few
    > minutes or so, YMMV) the error will repeat, with
    > the number of attempts steadily increasing (by
    > several million each time). Eventually (again, for
    > us it was two days, YMMV) the firewall will deny
    > all requests, and eventually crash completely.
    >
    > Further symptoms:
    >
    > Using tcpcon you can see something listening on
    > port 2000. If the telnet
    > session has been closed from the remote end,
    > tcpcon reports that the
    > previous session is in a "closewait" state. It may
    > be possible to do more bad things since this entry
    > never clears automatically (i.e. use up the rest
    > of system resources by opening and closing
    > connections to this port). It can be cleared using
    > tcpcon.
    >
    > The misbehaving NLM is CSATPXY.NLM. It is the CS
    > Audit Trail Proxy, which is apparently loaded by
    > default on a BorderManager 3.5 install. From what
    > various people tell me, it could also be installed
    > on non-BorderManger Novell servers (though
    > probably not by default) which means this
    > vulnerability may extend beyond BorderManager 3.5.
    >
    > Novell was contacted regarding this and the answer
    > was "unload the NLM".
    > Unloading the NLM does stop the slow death.
    > Rebooting will reload the NLM so it must be taken
    > out of whatever loads it on boot, of course.
    >
    > <RANT>
    > Why is the port even accessable from the outside
    > (or the inside for that
    > matter)? The default BorderManager packet
    > filtering rules indictate that
    > pretty much everything is being passed. Why is the
    > NLM loaded by default?
    > Tcpcon shows various other services running that
    > shouldn't be either
    > (chargen, echo, etc). Why? What other
    > vulnerabilities am I missing?
    > </RANT>
    >
    > enjoy,
    >      ChicknMon
    >
    >
    >
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       Michael R. Rudel =-= Computer Technician =-- Pinckney Community Schools
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