Re: PenTesting Email AntiVirus

From: Muhammad Faisal Rauf Danka (mfrdat_private)
Date: Fri May 17 2002 - 14:24:31 PDT

  • Next message: Don Weber: "RE: Using IPaqs or other handhelds as penetration devices"

    I think no matter what you do, you can never stay abreast of new viruses keep popping every now and then, even if you have a virus scanning email server, It's more likely that a new virus will pass through beause it's very new or maybe your virus signature file is not updated. 
    I think one should only expect *many* virus emails to be scanned and rejected or whatever via email server, but STILL take great care *as usual to not to recieve and run an .exe/.com/.bat/.vbs etc. files* recieved via email.
    
    -back to the pen-testing point, well yeah sending viruses as .ppt and as excel files is another way, but you can also try sending it in .tgz / .tar / .cpio / .uu (uuencoded) / .avi / .mpg formats.
    
    This will check that whether the antivirus scans only .exe files for known virus signatures or does it check every attachment?
    
    anyways , Goodluck!
    
    Regards, 
    ---------
    Muhammad Faisal Rauf Danka
    
    Chief Technology Officer
    Gem Internet Services (Pvt) Ltd.
    web: www.gem.net.pk
    voice: 92-021-111-GEMNET
    
    Vice President
    Pakistan Computer Emergency Responce Team (PakCERT)
    web: www.pakcert.org
    
    Chief Security Analyst
    Applied Technology Research Center (ATRC)
    web: www.atrc.net.pk
    voice: 92-21-4980523 92-21-4974781 
    
    "Great is the Art of beginning, but Greater is the Art of ending. "
    
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    --- "Rainer Duffner" <rainer@ultra-secure.de> wrote:
    >Ilici Ramirez writes: 
    >
    >> Hello, 
    >> 
    >> What ways do you know to pen-test email antivirus
    >> software? 
    >
    >I'd try to pack various combinations of different file-formats into
    >each other (OLE-container).
    >E.g., if they have disabled .exe to enter or leave the LAN, try sticking
    >it into an Excel or PPT-file.
    >It should not work, but that's what you're supposed to find out.
    >;-)
    >Of course, with webmail-over-https this is 80% pointless nowadays... 
    >
    >
    >> A cool one that has been published before is to zip a
    >> very large file that contains the same character. The
    >> result, a very small file attached to an email could
    >> deplete resources on the antivirus server. Do you know
    >> any AV exploitable with this?
    >
    >It's called 42.zip and there has been a discussion about this once in a 
    >while. Search the archives. 
    >
    >
    >cheers,
    >Rainer
    >-- 
    >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    >Rainer Duffner                   Munich
    >rainer@ultra-secure.de          Germany
    >http://www.i-duffner.de        Freising
    >========================================
    >    When shall we three meet again
    >  In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
    >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
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