Network Attack & Defense

overview

• introduction
• network attacks
  • overview
  • port-scans
  • nessus
• summary
• references

introduction

• IBM: increases of network attacks

number of the attacks on networks of state institutions between july and august last yearly around 55 % risen

• 80% of all network attacks are committed within the firewall

of protected range ComputerWorld, Januar 2002

historical outline

• 1971 John Draper find out that a toy whistle from a Muesli box

reproduces exactly the clay/tone that a free voice grade channel opens

• 1984 in the USA are discharged the Comprehensive Crime

control act, a law that more possibilities to the secret service gives to put to credit card cheats and hackers the handicraft

• 1986 in the USA two further laws, which concern themselves

with attacks on computer systems, are adopted: The computer Fraud and electronics Communications Privacy act

• 1988 Robert Morris bring 6.000 computers in the internet with

a virus to the crash and to a punishment of $10.000 are condemned

• 1994, summer Vladimir Levin, graduate of the pc. Petersburg

Universit, steal with a Russian group of hackers 10 millions $ of the Citibank. He is arrested 1995 in London.

• 1998, 19 May members of the group of hackers of L0pht warn

of serious safety gaps. They maintain the internet in a half hour to paralyze to be able.

network attacks

overview

• term clarifying
  • the term network attack is legally problematic
  • The legal definition of an attack assumes this took place only if someone arrived into the network!

• possible aggressors - hackers (private or professional)
  • classically
    • overcoming of entrance barriers
    • no destruction of data
    • no change of data
  • criminal (Cracker)
    • spying data
    • manipulation of data
    • destruction of data and systems

• possible attack targets
  • everyone is endangers
  • everyone is a goal
  • nearly everyone was already a goal

• goals of the aggressor
  • feigning a wrong identity
  • seeing confidential enterprise data
  • changing and falsifying data/messages
  • transfer of dangerous programs into the system
  • enterprises in discredit bring

• motivation
  • tests of the own abilities and borders
  • monetary goals
  • revenge of quit coworkers

• points of attack and weak points
  • a main cause for the multiplicity at safety problems in the InterNet represents the architecture in principle of the communication protocols TCP/IP and UDP
  • to using the ignorance of users
  • using safety gaps in programs, those on the attacked computer runs (e.g. Web Browser)
  • weak passwords

• more in http://www.computec.ch/dokumente/allgemein/angriffsmoeglichkeiten_auf_netzwerke/angriffsmoeglichkeiten_auf_netzwerke.pdf

• what can we do?
  • own systems and of them (normal) behavior (very much) good know!
  • on remarkablenesses concentrate, e.g.:
    • computer is unexpectedly slow
    • non removable disk is the being obvious for unexplainable reasons fully
    • first examines
  • calm remains; Panic causes errors
  • be prepared!
  • do allways
    • uninstall
    • switching off
    • configuring
    • patching
    • virus protection
    • user behaviors:
      • optimal: users do not install software
      • for minimum requirement: training of the users: software from the internet saves risks

with attention of these measures is avoidable over 99% all "Hacks"!

network analysis

• data security consider!
• only within the own range permits!
• difficult with purposeful masking
• motivation:
  • weak points recognize:
• missing Patches
• unsatisfactory configuration
• foreigner software (Filesharing Tools, Serv u)
  • abuse/intruders recognize
• possibilities:
  • port-scan
    • search for services, which are attainable over the net
  • computer scan
    • attempt, over the net additional information about the configuration computers to
  • network monitorings receive
    • monitoring and analysis of connections

port-scans

• in principle: each program on a computer, which is to accept connections from the outside, must open a haven before (status: Listening)
• open ones of haven can be recognized
• which be attainable should, are also visibly
• problem: Some haven under certain conditions are only activated
• which haven? (purposefully at particulars of haven, "waving Known" haven, haven rank (theoretical 1-65535))
• with what?
  • freeware haven scanner: NMAP http://www.nmap.org
  • recognizing the haven status
  • the behavior of the computer on detailed packages depends on the operating system, IP stack and the applications

• OS finger print (result can supply reference)
• Suspekte computer locally to examine
  • opened port lists
  • which process keeps which haven open?
  • interesting are doubtful haven with status "LISTENING"
• local analysis potentially compromised computer

computer analysis - nessus

• reaction of a computer when responding a port
• OS finger prints
• analysis of weak points (missing Patches/unsatisfactory configuration)
• with what?

• freeware scanner NESSUS (http://www.nessus.org)
  • two-piece:
    • server ("Daemon") on Unix
    • Client on Unix or Windows 32
• NESSUS be based on Nmap, has however additional functions
  • scanning on safety gaps
  • contains many prefabricated "Plugins"
  • script language for supplementing own Plugins
  • NESSUS scans not only the system to open ports, it tries also, dependent on the selected scanmethod, to recognize existing weak points of the individual server services
  • with the option "intensively" attacks on the target computer are implemented, which can lead also to system crashes

• evaluation of the Nessus results:
  • doubtful
  • knowledge about scanned computers is necessary
  • often false alarm, results
  • results can be stored in data base
  • comparison to earlier results or same computer configuration verifies classification of importance possible and meaningfully

• Negative result does not mean that the computer is safe!

summary

• there is no chance to be save

• but you can be close to

references

• http://www.computec.ch/dokumente/allgemein/angriffsmoeglichkeiten_auf_netzwerke/angriffsmoeglichkeiten_auf_netzwerke.pdf
• http://www.telematik-institut.de/publikationen/online-vorlesungen/weitere_vorlesungen_und_skripte/SION-kap-3.4.pdf
• http://www1.logistik.fh-dortmund.de/IT-Sicherheit/50_AdministratorenTools.pdf