[comp.protocols.tcp-ip] SOB exploiting FTP hole; gateways severed

stoll@ux1.lbl.gov (Cliff Stoll) (11/30/88)

I understand that several internet gateways have been severed
as of Tuesday evening, Nov. 29th.  The Network Operations
Center appaarently was ordered to do this as a result of
someone breaking into several computers, using the FTP hole
that was recently publicized.

Apparently, the bug has not been patched at everyone's site,
and so this bastard has been able to do mischief.  

I expect DCA will post an advisory on this soon.

Cliff Stoll
Harvard - Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
617/491-6536    617/495-7147
Nov 30, 10AM

Makey@LOGICON.ARPA (Jeff Makey) (12/01/88)

In article <1333@helios.ee.lbl.gov> cliff@cfa200.harvard.edu  (Cliff Stoll) writes:
>I understand that several internet gateways have been severed
>as of Tuesday evening, Nov. 29th.  The Network Operations
>Center appaarently was ordered to do this as a result of
>someone breaking into several computers, using the FTP hole
>that was recently publicized.

Thanks for the info, Cliff.  I had noticed the effect (MILNET <-->
ARPANET gateways not sending packets through), but I didn't know the
reason.

Aren't the MILNET <--> ARPANET gateways supposed to be able to
restrict traffic based on higher-layer protocols?  Or is that feature
no longer supported?  I remember that when the ARPANET/MILNET split
took place back in '83/'84 the gateways were supposed to be mail
bridges only, so they had the ability to pass only SMTP packets
between certain hosts (see DDN Management Bulletin 20, dated 6 March
1984).

If this feature is still in place, can't it be used to restrict only
FTP traffic and allow the mail to go through?

                           :: Jeff Makey

Department of Tautological Pleonasms and Superfluous Redundancies Department
    Disclaimer: Logicon doesn't even know we're running news.
    Internet: Makey@LOGICON.ARPA    UUCP: {nosc,ucsd}!logicon.arpa!Makey

yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (12/01/88)

For those of you who haven't managed to get your ftpd fixed (hurry up!), 
there is now a complete copy of the ftpd sources on uunet.uu.net, in
~ftp.  Use anonymous ftp to retrieve.  Included are the sources for
getusershell and a sample /etc/shells for those who don't have the 
latest libc.  The README file has phone numbers to call if you are
having troubles getting the new ftpd to work.  We strongly suggest that
if you haven't patched your ftpd, consider getting this fully patched
version and installing it.

						-Peter Yee
						yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov
						ames!yee