Re: [Clamav-users] Re: Clam Packet Scanning

2006-01-30 Thread Rajkumar S

Rob MacGregor wrote:


1) You'd need to decode the packet contents on the fly
2) Anything running over 1 packet would never be spotted


Just wondering how far a signature can go?  Does the scanner needs to go back and forth in 
a file for scanning or can it scan a stream as it passes by? How far does it needs to go 
if it has to go backwards? What about zip files? Do they need to be unzipped before 
scanning ?


The idea is to have a small packet queue where last n packets are stored, scanned and then 
transmitted in a cyclic fashion. ie first n-1 packets will just gets queued, when the nth 
packet arrives, the queue is scanned, and 1st packet is released and nth packets is 
appended to the queue. This process is repeated for every packet.


Now don't flame me about performance, I just want to know if such an arrangement will 
catch all virus in that stream or if some virus will get past this. What I just looking if 
such a thing is ever possible (as opposed to feasible) The aim is to catch malware that 
comes via a random tcp connection, like some sort of p2p application.


raj
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Re: [Clamav-users] Re: Clam Packet Scanning

2006-01-30 Thread Rajkumar S

Mar Matthias Darin wrote:
I have done some research on this already...  If you store the file in a 
disk buffer (say max 100K at a shot using tmpfs for speed), then scan 
the buffer, it does indeed work.


How short can this buffer go? Does this file needs to be seekable?

Where your problem is going to occur, as with havp, is in notifing the 
user that their file was trashed unless the P2P software incorporates 
the antivirus scanning inline with the downloading.  In such a manner, 
the P2P can notify the user that the transfer was abort and why.


One way would be to overwrite the matched signatures with zero, that would defang the 
file. Another way would be to use this in conjunction with desktop virus scanner where the 
gateway antivirus would provide defence in depth, There is no fit all approach here.


raj
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Re: [Clamav-users] Re: Clam Packet Scanning

2006-01-30 Thread Jeremy Kitchen
On Monday 30 January 2006 02:10, Rajkumar S wrote:
  Where your problem is going to occur, as with havp, is in notifing the
  user that their file was trashed unless the P2P software incorporates
  the antivirus scanning inline with the downloading.  In such a manner,
  the P2P can notify the user that the transfer was abort and why.

 One way would be to overwrite the matched signatures with zero, that would
 defang the file. Another way would be to use this in conjunction with
 desktop virus scanner where the gateway antivirus would provide defence in
 depth, There is no fit all approach here.

well, some p2p apps keep checksums of their parts so they know the file went 
across ok, so they'd see the zero'd out parts, the checksum would fail, and 
they would try again, see the zero'd out parts, checksum would fail, try 
again, checksum fail, try again

I would say just ban the use of p2p apps like kazaa, limewire on your network, 
and police it very closely.  Anyone who doesn't follow the rules gets the 
door.

-Jeremy

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Re: [Clamav-users] Re: Clam Packet Scanning

2006-01-30 Thread Rob MacGregor
On 1/30/06, Rajkumar S [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 Just wondering how far a signature can go?  Does the scanner needs to go back 
 and forth in
 a file for scanning or can it scan a stream as it passes by? How far does it 
 needs to go
 if it has to go backwards? What about zip files? Do they need to be unzipped 
 before
 scanning ?

 The idea is to have a small packet queue where last n packets are stored, 
 scanned and then
 transmitted in a cyclic fashion. ie first n-1 packets will just gets queued, 
 when the nth
 packet arrives, the queue is scanned, and 1st packet is released and nth 
 packets is
 appended to the queue. This process is repeated for every packet.

What about out of order packets?  What about duplicates...?

The short answer is, no such approach, even if you can get it
performing reasonably well, will be completely effective.  You would
be better off defaulting to blocking all outbound traffic and routing
all allowed traffic through proxies or gateways.

Keep in mind that clamav can't catch a virus it doesn't have a
signature for.  For there to be a signature somebody has to have
reported it.  That means that it has to be in the wild *before* you
can get signatures to detect it.  Which may mean that you're already
infected.  This isn't unique to clamav.

--
 Please keep list traffic on the list.
Rob MacGregor
  Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he
doesn't become a monster.  Friedrich Nietzsche
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Re: [Clamav-users] Re: Clam Packet Scanning

2006-01-30 Thread Rajkumar S

Rob MacGregor wrote:

On 1/30/06, Rajkumar S [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

The idea is to have a small packet queue where last n packets are
stored, scanned and then transmitted in a cyclic fashion. ie first
n-1 packets will just gets queued, when the nth packet arrives, the
queue is scanned, and 1st packet is released and nth packets is 
appended to the queue. This process is repeated for every packet.


What about out of order packets?  What about duplicates...?


These are problems, I was actually looking at this from a theoretical
perspective, like can this approach ever work. Our of order and
duplicate packets are solvable problems (I understand they are not easy,
but IDS has done it before) So is performance.


be better off defaulting to blocking all outbound traffic and routing
 all allowed traffic through proxies or gateways.


It may not be possible to run proxies for all applications used by
users. While proxies are one of the better ways to control traffic, I am
just exploring alternate ways to achieve a much more general solution.


That means that it has to be in the wild *before* you can get
signatures to detect it.


Okay.


Which may mean that you're already infected.


How come? A virus in wild  I getting infected. But there is a chance
that wild == my PC :) But that's the risk we take with all AV.

raj
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Re: [Clamav-users] Re: Clam Packet Scanning

2006-01-30 Thread Rajkumar S

Mar Matthias Darin wrote:

Hello,
Rajkumar S writes:

How short can this buffer go? Does this file needs to be seekable?


Ideally, I would say 16K would be as small as you want to go.  If the 
buffer is to small, the transfer speed will suffer.


That's a nice number. I am pretty encouraged by this possibility. Time 
to go coding :)


raj
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Re: [Clamav-users] Re: Clam Packet Scanning

2006-01-30 Thread Dennis Peterson

Rob MacGregor wrote:

On 1/30/06, Rajkumar S [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:


Just wondering how far a signature can go?  Does the scanner needs to go back 
and forth in
a file for scanning or can it scan a stream as it passes by? How far does it 
needs to go
if it has to go backwards? What about zip files? Do they need to be unzipped 
before
scanning ?

The idea is to have a small packet queue where last n packets are stored, 
scanned and then
transmitted in a cyclic fashion. ie first n-1 packets will just gets queued, 
when the nth
packet arrives, the queue is scanned, and 1st packet is released and nth 
packets is
appended to the queue. This process is repeated for every packet.



What about out of order packets?  What about duplicates...?


What about tar files? What about zip files?

dp
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Re: [Clamav-users] Re: Clam Packet Scanning

2006-01-29 Thread Rob MacGregor
On 1/29/06, Mar Matthias Darin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 If this methodology catches 80% of viruses, then it is indeed worth the
 investment, if it catches only 20%, is the approach still worth the time and
 resources to develop, refine, and maintain it.

At the proxy level it should work reasonably well (keeping in mind
that clamav is aimed at catching email viruses).  I've used products
that work that way before.

As a packet scanner I'd be surprised if it ever amounted to much.  The
technical problems are rather large :)  Off the top of my head:

1) You'd need to decode the packet contents on the fly
2) Anything running over 1 packet would never be spotted
3) By the time the packet has gone by, it's probably already too late
4) If you run inline the delays will be significant

 It is this line of thinking that I am interested in, is virus scanning
 single packets worth the cost of production.  Not weather it can be done
 or rude and inconsiderate comments from individuals that obviously missed
 the intent of the question.

Ultimately that's a business decision, not a technical one.

--
 Please keep list traffic on the list.
Rob MacGregor
  Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he
doesn't become a monster.  Friedrich Nietzsche
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