Re: NAI WebShield SMTP does not scan base64 encoding

[DFronck () FDIC GOV (Fronck, Destry)]

Chris,
This problem is not caused by base64 encoding. It is caused by the message
being encoded in MS-TNEF (Microsoft Transport Neutral Encapsulation Format.)
and then getting base64 encoded. MS-TNEF is used when Outlook sends Rich
Text information over the Internet.

NAI knows that this is a problem but they have been unable to fix it. Here's
my message to NAI and their response.
-------------------------------
                -----Original Message-----
                From:   Jon
                Sent:   Tuesday, May 09, 2000 7:55 PM
                To:     Fronck, Destry
                Subject:        RE: Webshield smtp 4.03 virus gateway

                Destry,

                        I talked to the Webshield guys and they said you are
completely correct. Not only that but NO company can scan those files
including ours. They did provide an article that may be of help to you.

                 <<WebShield_MS-TNEF.doc>>

                Thanks

                
                Jon
                --------------------------------------
                Network Associates
                Who's watching your network?
                -------------------------------------

                                 -----Original Message-----
                                From:   Fronck, Destry
[mailto:DFronck () FDIC gov]
                                Sent:   Monday, May 08, 2000 7:38 AM
                                To:     Jon
                                Cc:     FDIC-CSIRT
                                Subject:        Webshield smtp 4.03 virus
gateway
                                Importance:     High

                                Jon, I have discovered a problem with the
WebShield smtp 4.03 virus gateway for NT. We have had several instances of
the ILOVEYOU virus getting past the virus gateway. All of these were
detected by the VShield 4.03 desktop scanner. Both products are running the
same dat files; 4076 and the latest extra.dat.

                                The problem is that the gateway does not
appear to scan MS-TNEF (Microsoft Transport Neutral Encapsulated Format)
content. This content is typically encapsulated in MIME like so

                                ------_=_NextPart_000_01BFB8C1.7FC25C8A
                                Content-Type: application/ms-tnef
                                Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64

                                Can you verify this?
                                Does WebShield 4.5 fix this? Can you verify
this?

                                Thanks,
                                 Destry Fronck
-----------------------------------------------
Thanks,
 Destry Fronck

-----Original Message-----
From:   chris.paget () ANALYSYS COM [mailto:chris.paget () ANALYSYS COM]
Sent:   Tuesday, June 20, 2000 9:08 AM
To:     BUGTRAQ () SECURITYFOCUS COM
Subject:        NAI WebShield SMTP does not scan base64 encoding

While investigating todays virus outbreak (Stages.Worm), I noticed
that our email virus scanner (NAI WebShield SMTP 4.5, engine 4.0.50,
DAT 4.0.4082, 14/06/00) was not picking up all attachments.
The server is configured to block all SHS, VBS, etc attachments, and
notify the sender.  However, when these are sent as Base64 encoding
(rather than 8-bit), they are passed by the server, and could
potentially infect the network.  8-bit attachments are successfully
scanned (and blocked if necessary).

Chirs

<HR NOSHADE>
<UL>
<LI>application/msword attachment: WebShield_MS-TNEF.doc
</UL>