Messages in this thread | | | Subject | Re: Linux Buffer Overflow Security Exploits | Date | Fri, 5 Mar 1999 10:44:43 +0100 (MET) | From | (Rogier Wolff) |
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[removed two levels of quotations]
"Sarah Addams" at Mar 3, 99 08:07:32 pm said: > Excuse my ignorance, but would someone explain to me why Linux and other = > Unices are vulnerable to buffer overflow exploits? I suspect it's =
I had the chance of reading a part of a Microsoft Windows NT driver. I found a buffer-overflow within half an hour. I suspect that this will happen with ANY NT driver that you get to inspect. Scanning the source is a bit more comfortable than writing a program that continually tries to pass illegal arguments to system calls, because when you succeeed, you will crash your machine many times before you have an "exploit".
Exploiting that overflow will obliterate all security checks, as the driver executes in the kernel addressing space.
The controversy is that by publishing all security problems that you fix, you give the impression that there are a lot of them, while the parties that DON"T publicly admit the same problems, will give the impression of having less bugs.
Personally I prefer having the bugs known and fixed, over semi-known (*) and unfixed.
Roger.
(*) To use an old example, read all the SunOS-alerts, and try and apply them to say AIX or HPUX. And the cracker community will pass the bugs that they find around silently without you noticing....
-- ** R.E.Wolff@BitWizard.nl ** http://www.BitWizard.nl/ ** +31-15-2137555 ** *-- BitWizard writes Linux device drivers for any device you may have! --* * Never blow in a cat's ear because if you do, usually after three or * * four times, they will bite your lips! And they don't let go for at * * least a minute. -- Lisa Coburn, age 9
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