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RE: [BLACKLIST] [Full-disclosure] Solaris telnet vulnberability - how many on yournetwork?


From: Gadi Evron <ge () linuxbox org>
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 13:59:21 -0600 (CST)

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007, Michael Wojcik wrote:

From: Thierry Zoller [mailto:Thierry () Zoller lu] 
Sent: Monday, 12 February, 2007 07:52

GE>     telnet -l "-froot" [hostname]

Should we really consider this a BUG ? With all due respect, this
reads, smells and probably tastes like a backdoor

It's a bug.  I recall it being found and fixed in AIX many years ago.
Embarassing for Sun that it's still in Solaris, though.

It's actually caused by a "feature" of login; the bug is in programs
that exec login and pass "-froot" to it, and in preserving this feature
of login at all.

A quick Google search found Usenet postings about it from 1994; I'm sure
it was known well before then.

Hi Michael. Thank you for making that issue public (about login). Haven't
seen it posted anywhere.

One note: although it could just as well be a bug, who says it was not a
backdoor in the early 90's?

Also, I understand this does not work on older Solaris/SunOS systems
(anyone can verify?) which adds to my personal interest in the
possibility. I refuse to believe someone is that funny/sad.

        Gadi.


-- 
Michael Wojcik
Principal Software Systems Developer, Micro Focus



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