Security Basics mailing list archives

Re: 543.rar attachment


From: Jonathan Loh <kj6loh () yahoo com>
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 22:41:44 -0800 (PST)

Ok let's have a reality check.  
Blocking archive files is easy by just writing a simple filter looking for
various extensions.  Pruning executable files means you will have to use that
same filter, open the archive, either extract the whole thing, delete the
executables, and repackage the whole thing, or delete the executables in place.
 
Everyone can split large application files, or can be taught how, and send them
to be repackaged.  Ever wonder how TCP and UDP work?   

--- David J ONEILL <David.J.Oneill () state or us> wrote:
Gee, why not just block ALL email communication.  That would save you
some work too.

Archive files are a necessary part of communication and very beneficial
in saving bandwidth.

Let's have a reality check ....

David J O'Neill
Senior Systems Analyst
State of Oregon
Department of Human Services
Office of Information Services
PH# 503.378.2101 ext. 280
email david.j.oneill () state or us

Jonathan Loh <kj6loh () yahoo com> 03/14/05 02:21PM >>>
Ok that's a solution.  But what I want to ask you is this.  How much
overhead
does it take to do this?  Blocking archive files would be an easier
method with
little overhead.  Possibly with a reply to sender that your site does
not
accept archive files.  
--- Kinnell <kinnell.t () gmail com> wrote:
On the network I'm a member of we block all exe files sent inside
the
rar or zip, so even if it is sent the file will be 0byted.  Wouldn't
that be a better method?  otherwise if you block all bz2, zip, rar,
etc... then you will block a lot of useful communication

-Kinnell

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 16:49:16 -0500, adisegna () siscocorp com 
<adisegna () siscocorp com> wrote:
Sean, I have to disagree with you. Any file that that can
encapsulate an
executable file should be blocked (IMO). ZIP files are one of the
biggest carriers of malicious content these days. I don't make it
a
habbit of trusting my users no matter how many times they get
trained.
RAR extraction tools are not part of the software image policy on
my
network so users are oblivious to the file blocking. What is your
solution?

Thanks

AD
Information Technology Group
Security Identification Systems Corporation

-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Crawford [mailto:sean01 () accnet com au] 
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 9:39 PM
To: security-basics () securityfocus com 
Subject: RE: 543.rar attachment

---> -----Original Message-----
---> From: adisegna () siscocorp com [mailto:adisegna () siscocorp com] 

---> Subject: RE: 543.rar attachment

---> I just recently got the same executable inside .rar. I
extracted
the
---> dddd.exe and ran a scan on it. Norton Corporate 9.01 didn't
find
---> anything (as of 4 days ago). I wasn't about to double click
this
exe on
---> my corporate network. Block the rar extension on your mail
server.
--->

rar is a valid compression format...blocking it isn't a very good
solution.

2 cents.

Sean





              
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