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--------------------------------------------------- Hackers race to expose Cisco Internet flaw Mon Aug 8, 2005 9:12 PM IST By Andy Sullivan http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&story ID=2005-08-08T204235Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-211980-1.xml LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Computer hackers worked through the weekend to expose a flaw that could allow an attacker to take control of the Cisco Systems Inc. routers that direct traffic across much of the Internet. Angered and inspired by Cisco's attempts to suppress news of the flaw earlier in the week, several computer security experts at the Defcon computer-security conference worked past midnight Saturday to discover and map out the vulnerability. "The reason we're doing this is because someone said you can't," said one hacker, who like the others spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. Cisco's routers direct traffic across at least 60 percent of the Internet and the security hole has dominated a pair of conferences that draw thousands of security researchers, U.S. government employees and teenage troublemakers to Las Vegas each summer. The hackers said they had no intention of hijacking e-commerce payments, reading private e-mail, or launching any of the other malicious attacks that could be possible by exploiting the flaw. Rather, they said they wanted to illustrate the need for Cisco customers to update their software to defend against such possibilities. Many Cisco customers have postponed the difficult process because it could require them to unplug entirely from the Internet. Security researcher Michael Lynn first described the flaw on Wednesday at the Black Hat conference over the objections of Cisco and his former employer, Internet Security Systems Inc. Lynn helped Cisco develop a fix but wanted to discuss it publicly to raise awareness of the problem, according to associates, going so far as to quit his job with ISS so he could talk freely. "What (Lynn) ended up doing was describing how to build a missile without giving all the details. He gave enough (details) so people could understand how a missile could be built, and they could take their research from there," said a security expert who gave his name only as Simonsaz and who said he is not involved in the hacking effort. COURT ORDER After his presentation Cisco and ISS obtained a court order barring Lynn and the Black Hat organization from further disseminating details of the flaw. Cisco employees ripped Lynn's presentation from the conference program, according to witnesses, and Black Hat handed over its video recording of his talk. "ISS and Cisco's actions with Mr. Lynn and Black Hat were not based on the fact that a flaw was identified, rather that they chose to address the issue outside of established industry practices," said Cisco spokeswoman Mojgan Khalili, who added that the company is committed to protecting its customers. But those efforts have only inspired other security experts to take a crack at Cisco's software. "It's really saddening and disheartening to see Cisco taking this approach, because it leaves their customers less secure," one of the hackers said. In one of the hackers' hotel rooms, several Cisco routers sat surrounded by plastic beer cups on a coffee table. Two laptops on the floor displayed the software's machine code, an endless blur of numbers. If they don't figure out how to take over Cisco's Internet Operating System software by the end of the weekend, their counterparts at a hacking festival in Europe will certainly do so, the hackers said. Some experts said the flaw has been blown out of proportion. Malevolent attackers are more likely to focus on easier targets such as home computers rather than the complex routers that direct traffic across the Internet, said Jon Callas, chief technical officer of PGP Corp., a provider of encryption software. "An awful lot of the buzz that is going around is buzz because of the use of lawyers and injunctions and lawsuits rather than the actual thing itself," said Callas, who is not involved in efforts to hack the software. --------------------------------------- Also in this issue: - Nigeria cracking down on e-scams Day in, day out, a strapping, amiable 24-year-old who calls himself Kele B. heads to an Internet cafe, hunkers down at a computer and casts his net upon the cyber-waters. - Pink slip doesn't leave them red-faced Getting fired is rarely a happy event, but that doesn't mean you can't have a sense of humor about it. - Reports of Vista virus rebutted Microsoft has hit back at reports of the first virus for its new version of Windows, dubbed Vista. - Summertime, and the living is digital Technology commentator Bill Thompson is enjoying a technology-rich summer with his children. - WEBLOG WATCH When Weblog Watch did an initial round-up of British bloggers' reactions to the London bomb attacks, we noted how Tim Worstall's words had generally been heeded in the immediate aftermath: - Microsoft Cuts Windows Vista Feature Experts had worried that the Monad scripting shell would be an attractive target for hackers. - Hackers race to expose Cisco Internet flaw Computer hackers worked through the weekend to expose a flaw that could allow an attacker to take control of the Cisco Systems Inc. routers that direct traffic across much of the Internet. - Google Earth website poses no risk: govt Terrorists are able to download a bird's-eye view of sensitive Australian sites, including parliament house, the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor and airports, an internet company admits. - Internet Scammers Keep Working in Nigeria In Festac Town, an entire community of scammers overnights on the Internet. By day they flaunt their smart clothes and cars and hang around the Internet cafes, trading stories about successful cons and near misses, and hatching new plots. - FCC eases rules on high-speed Net service Federal regulators Friday eliminated rules that forced phone companies to rent out network access to rival DSL services, a move criticized by consumer advocates who say it will eventually lead to higher fees for Internet service. ---------------------------------------------------- Starting 1 September 2005... The Online Learning Series of Courses presents... How to Search the Internet, Level 1. For details send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with sendinfo search1 in the subject line. ---------------------------------------------------- Member: Association for International Business ------------------------------- Excerpt from CSS Internet News (tm) ,-~~-.____ For subscription details email / | ' \ [EMAIL PROTECTED] with ( ) 0 SUBINFO CSSINEWS in the \_/-, ,----' subject line. ==== // / \-'~; /~~~(O) "On the Internet no one / __/~| / | knows you're a dog" =( _____| (_________| ------------------------------- ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
