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- DDN Security Bulletin 03 DCA DDN Defense Communications System
- 18 Oct 89 Published by: DDN Security Coordination Center
- (SCC@NIC.DDN.MIL) (800) 235-3155
-
- DEFENSE DATA NETWORK
- SECURITY BULLETIN
-
- The DDN SECURITY BULLETIN is distributed by the DDN SCC (Security
- Coordination Center) under DCA contract as a means of communicating
- information on network and host security exposures, fixes, & concerns
- to security & management personnel at DDN facilities. Back issues may
- be obtained via FTP (or Kermit) from NIC.DDN.MIL [26.0.0.73 or
- 10.0.0.51] using login="anonymous" and password="guest". The bulletin
- pathname is SCC:DDN-SECURITY-nn (where "nn" is the bulletin number).
-
- **********************************************************************
-
- W.COM ("WANK") WORM ON SPAN NETWORK
-
- On 16 October, the CERT received word from SPAN network control that a
- worm was attacking SPAN VAX/VMS systems. This worm affects only DEC
- VMS systems and is propagated via DECnet (not TCP/IP) protocols.
- At least two versions of this worm exist and more may be created.
- Non-VMS systems are immune; TCP/IP networks are not at risk.
-
- While this program is very similar to last year's HI.COM (or "Father
- Christmas") worm (see DDN MGT Bulletin #50 23 Dec 88), THIS IS NOT A
- PRANK. Instead of a "cute" Christmas greeting, W.COM appends code to
- .com files and displays this banner:
-
- W O R M S A G A I N S T N U C L E A R K I L L E R S
- _______________________________________________________________
- \__ ____________ _____ ________ ____ ____ __ _____/
- \ \ \ /\ / / / /\ \ | \ \ | | | | / / /
- \ \ \ / \ / / / /__\ \ | |\ \ | | | |/ / /
- \ \ \/ /\ \/ / / ______ \ | | \ \| | | |\ \ /
- \_\ /__\ /____/ /______\ \____| |__\ | |____| |_\ \_/
- \___________________________________________________/
- \ /
- \ Your System Has Been Officically WANKed /
- \_____________________________________________/
-
- You talk of times of peace for all, and then prepare for war.
-
- Initial reports described the worm as destructive, i.e. it would erase
- files. Detailed analysis by the CERT, Lawrence Livermore National
- Laboratory, and FermiLab has not found any code that would perform
- file erasures. However, files are altered and new accounts created.
- Serious security holes are left open by this worm.
-
- It is very important to understand that someone in the future could
- launch this worm on any DECnet based network. Many copies of the
- virus have been mailed around. Anyone running a DECnet network should
- be warned.
-
- When the DDN PMO received these initial reports, the MailBridge
- filters were activated to preclude any traffic from passing between
- MILNET and the rest of the Internet. The filters will be turned off
- (restoring full interoperability) Tuesday 17 October 1989 NLT 17:00
- EDT. (NOTE: W.COM could traverse the MILNET only if encapsulated in
- a TCP/IP "envelope", i.e. "assisted" by a human agent, and cannot
- "infect" the MILNET.)
-
- R. Kevin Oberman from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reports:
-
- "This is a mean bug to kill and could have done a lot of damage.
- Since it notifies (by mail) someone of each successful penetration
- and leaves a trapdoor (the FIELD account), just killing the bug is
- not adequate. You must go in an make sure all accounts have
- passwords and that the passwords are not the same as the account
- name."
-
- The CERT also suggests checking every .com file on the system. The
- worm appends code to .com files which will reopen a security hole
- every time the program is executed.
-
- An analysis of the worm (provided by R. Kevin Oberman and used with
- his permission) appears below. Included with the analysis is a DCL
- program that will block the current version of the worm. This program
- should provide enough time to close up obvious security holes.
-
- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-
- Date: Mon, 16 Oct 89 15:30 PDT
- From: "Kevin Oberman, LLNL, (415)422-6955" <OBERMAN@icdc.llnl.gov>
- Subject: Report on network worm ***URGENT***
-
-
-
- Report on the W.COM worm.
- R. Kevin Oberman
- Engineering Department
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- October 16, 1989
-
- The following describes the action of the W.COM worm (currently based on the
- examination of the first two incarnations). The replication technique causes
- the code to be modified slightly which indicates the source of the attack and
- learned information.
-
- All analysis was done with more haste than I care for, but I believe I have all
- of the basic facts correct.
-
- First a description of the program:
-
- 1. The program assures that it is working in a directory to which the owner
- (itself) has full access (Read, Write,Execute, and Delete).
-
- 2. The program checks to see if another copy is still running. It looks for a
- process with the first 5 characters of "NETW_". If such is found, it deletes
- itself (the file) and stops its process.
-
- NOTE
- A quick check for infection is to look for a process name starting with
- "NETW_". This may be done with a SHOW PROCESS command.
-
- 3. The program then changes the default DECNET account password to a random
- string of at least 12 characters.
-
- 4. Information on the password used to access the system is mailed to the user
- GEMTOP on SPAN node 6.59. Some versions may have a different address.
-
- 5. The process changes its name to "NETW_" followed by a random number.
-
- 6. It then checks to see if it has SYSNAM priv. If so, it defines the system
- announcement message to be the banner in the program:
- W O R M S A G A I N S T N U C L E A R K I L L E R S
- _______________________________________________________________
- \__ ____________ _____ ________ ____ ____ __ _____/
- \ \ \ /\ / / / /\ \ | \ \ | | | | / / /
- \ \ \ / \ / / / /__\ \ | |\ \ | | | |/ / /
- \ \ \/ /\ \/ / / ______ \ | | \ \| | | |\ \ /
- \_\ /__\ /____/ /______\ \____| |__\ | |____| |_\ \_/
- \___________________________________________________/
- \ /
- \ Your System Has Been Officically WANKed /
- \_____________________________________________/
-
- You talk of times of peace for all, and then prepare for war.
-
- 7. If it has SYSPRV, it disables mail to the SYSTEM account.
-
- 8. If it has SYSPRV, it modifies the system login command procedure to
- APPEAR to delete all of a user's file. (It really does nothing.)
-
- 9. The program then scans the accounts logical name table for command
- procedures and tries to modify the FIELD account to a known password
- with login from any source and all privs. This is a primitive virus,
- but very effective IF it should get into a privileged account.
-
- 10. It proceeds to attempt to access other systems by picking node numbers at
- random. It then used PHONE to get a list of active users on the remote system.
- It proceeds to irritate them by using PHONE to ring them.
-
- 11. The program then tries to access the RIGHTSLIST file and attempts
- to access some remote system using the users found and a list of
- "standard" users included with the worm. It looks for passwords
- which are the same as that of the account or are blank. It records all
- such accounts.
-
- 12. It looks for an account that has access to SYSUAF.DAT.
-
- 13. If a priv. account is found, the program is copied to that account and
- started. If no priv account was found, it is copied to other accounts found on
- the random system.
-
- 14. As soon as it finishes with a system, it picks another random system and
- repeats (forever).
-
- Response:
-
- 1. The following program will block the worm. Extract the following code
- and execute it. It will use minimal resources. It create a process named
- NETW_BLOCK which will prevent the worm from running.
- -------
- Editors note: This fix will work only with this version of the worm.
- Mutated worms will require modification of this code; however, this
- program should prevent the worm from running long enough to secure
- your system from the worms attacks.
- -------
- ==============================================================================
- $ Set Default SYS$MANAGER
- $ Create BLOCK_WORM.COM
- $ DECK/DOLLAR=END_BLOCK
- $LOOP:
- $ Set Process/Name=NETW_BLOCK
- $ Wait 12:0
- $ GoTo loop
- END_BLOCK
- $ Run/Input=SYS$MANAGER:BLOCK_WORM.COM/Error=NL:/Output=NL:/UIC=[1,4] -
- SYS$SYSTEM:LOGINOUT
- ==============================================================================
-
- 2. Enable security auditing. The following command turns on the MINIMUM
- alarms. The log is very useful in detecting the effects of the virus left by
- the worm. It will catch the viruses modification of the UAF.
- $ Set Audit/Alarm/Enable=(ACL,Authorization,Breakin=All,Logfailure=All)
-
- 3. Check for any account with NETWORK access available for blank passwords or
- passwords that are the same as the username. Change them!
-
- 4. If you are running VMS V5.x, get a copy of SYS$UPDATE:NETCONFIG_UPDATE.COM
- from any V5.2 system and run it. If you are running V4.x, change the username
- and password for the network object "FAL".
-
- 5. If you have been infected, it will be VERY obvious. Start checking the
- system for modifications to the FIELD account. Also, start scanning the system
- for the virus. Any file modified will contain the following line:
- $ oldsyso=f$trnlnm("SYS$OUTPUT")
- It may be in LOTS of command procedures. Until all copies of the virus are
- eliminated, the FIELD account may be changed again.
-
- 6. Once you are sure all of the holes are plugged, you might kill off
- NETW_BLOCK. (And then again, maybe not.)
-
- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-
- If you have any technical questions or have an infected system, please
- call the CERT:
-
- Computer Emergency Response Team
- Email: cert@sei.cmu.edu
- Telephone: 412-268-7090 (answers 24 hours a day)
-
-
- If you have any general questions, please call the SCC:
-
- Security Coordination Center
- Email: scc@nic.ddn.mil
- Telephone: 1-800-235-3155 or 415-859-3695 (7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time).
-
-
-