Re: BAD TRAFFIC data in TCP SYN packet

["Tudor Panaitescu" <tpanaitescu () colorcon com>]

I saw this especially with Microsoft's DNS Servers when people inside the net
here are trying to download updates.

Just FYI.

All the best,
Tudor








Matt Kettler <mkettler () evi-inc com> on 01/14/2002 12:08:21 PM
                                                              
                                                              
                                                              
  To:          Lars J


ørgensen IT <Lars.Jorgensen () pol dk>      
                                                              
  cc:          snort-users () lists sourceforge net(bcc: Tudor   
               Panaitescu/ColorconUS)                         
                                                              
                                                              
                                                              
  Subject      Re: [Snort-users] BAD TRAFFIC data in TCP SYN  
  :            packet                                         
                                                              






Well, the port 29291 is just a random local port.. This is a syn packet
remember, so the service being used is on destination end, and is port 53
(dns).

so, 207.46.106.84 has decided that 172.40.20.235 might be a dns server, and
has attempted to connect to it via TCP (it is unusual, but legal for a DNS
server to be contacted via tcp instead of UDP).

I've seen some similar traffic myself from a pair of DNS servers directed
at the local DNS server here.. the TCP syn packets contain several bytes of
data which are all 00's. It is strange (AFAIK it is not legal to send data
with a syn packet.. you haven't negotiated a connection yet), but it
appears to be an artifact of a buggy tcp/ip implementation.. Or who knows,
it may be an artifact of some obscure, buggy worm  or scanning tool that
looks at DNS servers and uses raw sockets instead of the local TCP/IP
stack. Even if it is from some obscure hacking tool, the syn packets
themselves appear harmless.


At 07:39 AM 1/14/2002 +0100, you wrote:
> Hi!
>
> I get a lot of
>
> 01/14-02:24:17.089098  [**] [1:526:3] BAD TRAFFIC data in TCP SYN packet
> [**] [Classification: Misc activity] [Priority: 3] {TCP} 207.46.106.84:29291
> -> 172.40.20.235:53
>
> 172.40.20.235 is my DNS server, but why would clients put data in the syn
> packets? According to RIPE, the source address is "ALLOCATED UNSPECIFIED",
> so I can't find out who's doing this. It comes from a limited number of
> addresses, they all seem to be 207.xx.xxx.xxx.


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