Re: Odd situation, advice needed on penentration test results

From: Raven Alder (ravenat_private)
Date: Wed Mar 26 2003 - 14:41:59 PST

  • Next message: Greg Reber: "RE: Odd situation, advice needed on penentration test results"

    Heya --
    
    Quoth Ido Dubrawsky (Wed, Mar 26, 2003 at 03:19:32PM -0500):
    > I would recommend that the your client unplug the power from the
    > system (hopefully the intruder has not setup a logic bomb that
    > triggers if the network interface goes down).  Then it's a matter of
    > getting the system into a state where imaging the drive(s) can be
    > done.
    
    	Also, if they want to capture some of the forensic information
    that's lost with a power-cycle (running process list, etc), just yank
    the network connection.  If you want to ensure that the Ethernet
    interface stays up, leave it connected to a hub with no other
    connections and no uplink.  Or just make yourself a loopback plug
    (connect pin 1 to pin 3, pin 2 to pin 6, crimp and go --
    http://www.juniper.net/techpubs/software/nog/nog-interfaces/html/fe-ge-loopback25.html
    has diagrams) and insert that in place of the network cable.  
     
    	Of course, this still won't save you if the software is checking
    reachability to a given external site before doing whatever
    self-destructive thing, or if the momentary drop in connectivity when
    you switch cables is enough to set it off.  But it does keep your
    compromised system isolated from the rest of the network while you begin
    your forensic analysis.  (Or while your client does -- touching that
    system after you know it's been compromised by someone else may be
    opening yourself up to some sort of liability.  I am not a lawyer -- but
    it would make me nervous, unless this sort of situation was accounted
    for in my contract with the client.  If they just signed you on for a
    pen-test, I'd probably tell the client exactly what I had found and what
    I had done to find it, and let them make the decisions about what they
    wanted to do from there.)
    
    Cheers,
    Raven
    
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