[comp.sys.sun] Serious security problem with yppasswdd

viktor%fine.Princeton.EDU@princeton.edu (Viktor Dukhovni) (02/01/89)

[[ I saw this on Sun-Nets and decided that many people here would also be
interested in seeing it.  I changed the subject line to more accurately
reflect the message's content.  --wnl ]]

Turn off your unpatched yppasswdd servers immediately!!!  Anyone on the
internet can convince these to create a passwordless root account.  I will
post the method in two weeks time unless strongly urged not to do so.
(This gives everyone plenty of time to get the SUN patch tape, or turn
off yppasswdd.  I do believe though in giving people a chance to take
action before compromising whatever measure of security they have left.)

	Viktor.

[[ This bug apparently exists in all known yp implementations:  3.x, 4.0,
4.0.1, and even implementations that aren't Sun's.  Our system manager
called Sun for a patch tape, but I haven't heard yet if they even returned
her call or acknowledged that such a tape exists.  --wnl ]]

graham%ee.surrey.ac.uk@nss.cs.ucl.ac.uk (Graham J Carpenter) (02/10/89)

>This bug apparently exists in all known yp implementations:  3.x, 4.0,
>4.0.1, and even implementations that aren't Sun's.  Our system manager
>called Sun for a patch tape, but I haven't heard yet...  --wnl

Does anyone have a Sun Bug Report ID number for this? It's easier to refer
to an existing bug report than to try and describe to Software Support
details of a bug about which we have no details.

--

Graham Carpenter - graham@ee.surrey.ac.uk
Dept of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 5XH.

[[ Sure.  We have the tape now.  It has new 4.0 executables (for 010, 020,
and sparc) for in.ftpd, sendmail, sendmail.mx, ypbind, rpc.yppasswdd, and
portmap.  There are also 3.5 versions for ypbind and rpc.yppasswdd.  These
are fixes for the following Bug IDs: 1015127, 1015111, 1016711, 1015128,
1016786, 1010710.  But I have it on reasonably good authority (not from
within Sun) that the yppasswdd fix is still not sufficient.  Those
concerned should seriously consider joining the mailing list "Sun-Nets".
Mail requests to "Sun-Nets-request@brillig.umd.edu".  This is being
discussed fairly regularly there.  --wnl ]]