[Fwd: SANS Flash Alert For Solaris]

From: Peter J Dinauer (peter.dinauerat_private)
Date: Tue Jan 04 2000 - 15:08:49 PST

  • Next message: James Triplett: "Re: [Fwd: SANS Flash Alert For Solaris]"

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    The hunt is on . . . .
    
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    Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 14:09:09 -0700 (MST)
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    From: The SANS Institute <sansat_private>
    Subject: SANS Flash Alert For Solaris
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    To: Peter J Dinauer (SD070458) <peter.dinauerat_private>
    
    To: Peter J Dinauer (SD070458)
    
    SANS Flash Alert for Solaris Users 
    
    Help, please - today  -- in the Hunt For Solaris Trojans
    
    THE PROBLEM
    
    Several of you have reported that your Sun computers have been
    infected with Trojan horse software (trojans, for short) using such 
    tools as trinoo, TFN, TFN2000, or stacheldraht which is German 
    for barbed wire.
      
    Here is what we know so far about these attacks from users and 
    experts around the world: 
    
    These trojans are controlled by master computers using various 
    communications channels. The infected machines are used as a 
    collective force (reports range upward from 230 acting together) to 
    attack other sites and close them down.  These attacks have 
    succeeded in flooding out both large and small sites. 
    
    The trojans are being installed continuously - with attackers 
    coming back time and again looking for new computers to 
    compromise. Several universities found them installed on multiple 
    computers. Attackers appear to have constructed relatively 
    complete maps of the computers at the sites they are attacking.
    
    If your Solaris computers are infected and are used in attacks on 
    other organizations, you may face economic liability or be viewed 
    as a pariah to the community.
    
    
    DETECTION
    
    You and the community would greatly benefit if you could check 
    to see whether your computers are infected.  Two principal tools 
    are available for the test. One is being developed by the National 
    Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) and can be installed on 
    each host. The other was developed by Dave Dittrich and Marcus 
    Ranum and can be run remotely to scan your systems.  There is no 
    charge for either of the tools.
    
    Over the weekend the GIAC (Global Incident Analysis Center) at 
    www.sans.org/y2k.htm put out an early notice and several dozen 
    organizations tested the NIPC software and provided feedback that 
    helped make it work better. Yes, the NIPC software has uncovered 
    more infestations.
    
    The NIPC software works well and should be run immediately.
    
    As wonderful as the news is about the NIPC tool, to run it you 
    have to install it on every system you want to test.  A network 
    scanning tool is potentially more efficient since one tool can scan 
    an entire network.  Just make certain the network you scan is yours 
    and that you have permission!  One such tool is under 
    development, it was written by Dave Dittrich, and Marcus Ranum 
    has enhanced it. In other words: extraordinary people
    are working together to create the tools need to find these Trojans.
     
    If you have a lot of experience with software that is still a bit 
    green, you could really make a contribution to the community by 
    running and testing the scanning program.
    
    If you are less experienced you might want to delay a day or two. 
    But don't delay long, the tool may have a short life span, as the 
    attackers will begin to modify the trojan code to evade detection.
    
    Where to find the software:
    
    The host-based tool from NIPC may be found at:
    http://www.fbi.gov/nipc/trinoo.htm
    
    The scanning program from Dittrich/Ranum may be found (after 6 
    pm EST on January 4) at:
    http://staff.washington.edu/dittrich/misc/sickenscan.tar
    
    In addition, Dave Dittrich has written an extraordinary analysis of 
    the infestation that may be found at: 
    http://staff.washington.edu/dittrich/misc/stacheldraht.analysis
    
    If you are a university or any other organization with users who 
    may not have tightly locked down their Solaris systems, please use 
    both.  If you are absolutely sure of your defenses, you might do 
    spot checks instead.
    
    CONTAINMENT AND ERADICATION
    
    If you find evidence of infestation, please make a good back-up 
    first to preserve evidence. Also if you search for the malicious 
    code on your system, you probably will not find it. The attackers 
    have been installing "root kits" to hide their work.  
    
    There are resources available to help if you have been attacked. 
    Please mail us at sansroat_private and we'll connect you with the 
    best sources available at that time.
    
    
    PREVENTION
    
    The most common paths used to compromise systems to insert the 
    Trojans have been weaknesses in RPC (remote procedure call) 
    implementation.
    
    The menacing character of this new threat may offer you an 
    opportunity to get support to patch the RPC holes and eliminate 
    other vulnerabilities.
    
    Note, though Solaris is the current focus of these attackers, they 
    will soon turn to NT and Linux and other UNIX variants.  Take 
    this opportunity to close the holes there as well.  That's a great deal 
    cheaper and less embarrassing than nuking the system and 
    reinstalling all the software after an infestation.
    
    IN CLOSING
     
    If you can spare the time, please take a look right away.  The 
    Trojans are under constant development and these detection tools 
    may be less and less effective as the week progresses.
    
    Email us with the results at sansroat_private
    
    Alan and Greg
    
    Greg Shipley
    Solaris Trojan Hunt Coordinator
    
    Alan Paller
    Director of Research
    
    The SANS Institute
    
    
    
    
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