Posted on 05/02/2002 1:01:15 PM PDT by Bush2000
Hackers can potentially exploit a format-string vulnerability in remote wall requests to execute arbitrary code in Solaris, Sun Microsystems Inc.'s version of the Unix operating system, security experts warned.
Sun Solaris Versions 2.5.1, 2.6, 7 and 8 require a security patch to the utility rwall daemon or rpc.rwalld, the CERT Coordination Center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh said in an advisory yesterday.
The rwall daemon listens for wall requests, which are used to send messages to terminals using a time-sharing system. The advisory warned that the utility contains a format string vulnerability that could permit a hacker to get into the system by executing code with the privileges of the rwall daemon, usually root.
Sun has confirmed that there is a problem with rpc.rwalld and is working on a patch to fix the hole, according to CERT, which is funded by the U.S. government.
Disabling rpc.rwalld in "inetd.conf" is the recommended temporary security solution until patches are available, CERT said. Sun will release a security bulletin once the patches are available, CERT said.
By exhausting system resources, a hacker can cause the rwall daemon to generate an error message; the format string vulnerability is in the code that displays the error message. Although a hacker could consume system resources and prevent wall from executing either locally and remotely, a combination of events must occur for a hacker to be able to exploit the hole, CERT said. For example, it's difficult for remote users to control the system resources that they are attempting to exhaust in order to manipulate the system, CERT said.
The problem appears to be limited to Solaris, CERT said.
System security is 95% administration. If Microsoft is to be faulted, I would blame them more for encouraging a culture of ignorance which leads to lax administration of Windows servers.
Any system can be configured to be relatively secure, and any system can be (mis-) configured to be wide open. And any system that is on the Internet and not maintained, given long enough, will eventually be vulnerable to attack.
I was there when a senior manager said to an IT guy, "I want to see you checking LAN drops and backing up the servers, not surfing the net for security information."
Those who can't do...teach.
Those can't do and can't teach...manage.
None of my boxes ever allows wall anyway, so it's just not an issue for me. Or anybody I know.
Secondly, lets wait and see how long it takes Sun to release a patch. I bet it happens a lot faster than it would with MS. And after it is released, I'll bet a higher percentage of systems get the patch applied in the first 3 days than would happen with a MS system. Unix sysadmins actually pay attention and know how to apply a patch.
Being a MS sysadmin doesn't mean you have to be clueless, but there are a lot more people who fake their way into a job they just aren't qualified for in the Windows world than in the unix world.
What's required to own most Windows boxes? Hmm, send the user an email?
Bingo.
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