Security Incidents mailing list archives

Re: Code Red Doesn't care about TCP sessions?


From: rottz () securityflaw com
Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2001 18:03:40 -0500

Mark Wiater wrote:
A closer look at the data showed that many of the Code Red attacks were
directed at machines that I KNEW were not able to receive port 80 through the
firewalls. So how did Code Red get so far as to send the GET request when
there was no SYN, SYN/ACK, ACK???
Below is an attempt to reach port 80 on a windows machine running
ZoneAlarm.
ZoneAlarm blocked it, so it never sent the GET request.

08/09-07:36:19.844186 0:A0:C5:E5:F6:93 -> 0:1:2:37:9:A7 type:0x800
len:0x3E
x.x.x.x:2558 -> x.x.x.x:80 TCP TTL:116 TOS:0x0 ID:61104
**S***** Seq: 0x5597AF30   Ack: 0x0   Win: 0x4000
TCP Options => MSS: 1460 NOP NOP SackOK

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
08/09-07:36:23.060729 0:A0:C5:E5:F6:93 -> 0:1:2:37:9:A7 type:0x800
len:0x3E
x.x.x.x:2558 -> x.x.x.x:80 TCP TTL:116 TOS:0x0 ID:61142
**S***** Seq: 0x5597AF30   Ack: 0x0   Win: 0x4000
TCP Options => MSS: 1460 NOP NOP SackOK

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
08/09-07:36:29.624051 0:A0:C5:E5:F6:93 -> 0:1:2:37:9:A7 type:0x800
len:0x3E
x.x.x.x:2558 -> x.x.x.x:80 TCP TTL:116 TOS:0x0 ID:61194
**S***** Seq: 0x5597AF30   Ack: 0x0   Win: 0x4000
TCP Options => MSS: 1460 NOP NOP SackOK

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

A tcpdump showed that all of the code red communications were unidirectional.
It didn't bother to wait (more than 350ms) for a response from the Web server
before it sent it's ACK and then GET request.  This behaviour was consistent
for all ip addresses that could not respond via port 80 because of the
firewall.

Am I the only one to see this behaviour?
If the firewall blocked it, I don't see why it would bother sending a
GET request, it must have thought it was an open port, I've never seen
CR send a GET request to a closed port.


Peter
-- 
rottz at securityflaw dot com
Founder of Securityflaw

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