March 2021 - wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

Three Flaws in the Linux Kernel Since 2006 Could Grant Root Privileges
by Peter Reutemann 14 Mar '21

14 Mar '21

'"Three recently unearthed vulnerabilities in the Linux kernel, located in the iSCSI module used for accessing shared data storage facilities, could allow root privileges to anyone with a user account," reports SC Media: "If you already had execution on a box, either because you have a user account on the machine, or you've compromised some service that doesn't have repaired permissions, you can do whatever you want basically," said Adam Nichols, principal of the Software Security practice at GRIMM. While the vulnerabilities "are in code that is not remotely accessible, so this isn't like a remote exploit," said Nichols, they are still troublesome. They take "any existing threat that might be there. It just makes it that much worse," he explained. "And if you have users on the system that you don't really trust with root access it, it breaks them as well." Referring to the theory that 'many eyes make all bugs shallow,' Linux code "is not getting many eyes or the eyes are looking at it and saying that seems fine," said Nichols. "But, [the bugs] have been in there since the code was first written, and they haven't really changed over the last 15 years...." That the flaws slipped detection for so long has a lot to do with the sprawl of the the Linux kernel. It "has gotten so big" and "there's so much code there," said Nichols. "The real strategy is make sure you're loading as little code as possible." The bugs are in all Linux distributions, Nichols said, although the kernel driver is not loaded by default. Whether a normal user can load the vulnerable kernel module varies. They can, for instance, on all Red Hat based distros that GRIMM tested, he said. "Even though it's not loaded by default, you can get it loaded and then of course you can exploit it without any trouble...." The bugs have been patched in the following kernel releases: 5.11.4, 5.10.21, 5.4.103, 4.19.179, 4.14.224, 4.9.260, and 4.4.260. All older kernels are end-of- life and will not receive patches. ' -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/21/03/13/0118217 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 577-5304 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Raspberry Pi Foundation Launches $4 Microcontroller With Custom Chip
by Peter Reutemann 14 Mar '21

14 Mar '21

'Meet the Raspberry Pi Pico, a tiny little microcontroller that lets you build hardware projects with some code running on the microcontroller. Even more interesting, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is using its own RP2040 chip, which means that the foundation is now making its own silicon. From a report: If you're not familiar with microcontrollers, those devices let you control other parts or other devices. You might think that you can already do this kind of stuff with a regular Raspberry Pi. But microcontrollers are specifically designed to interact with other things. They're cheap, they're small and they draw very little power. You can start developing your project with a breadboard to avoid soldering. You can pair it with a small battery and it can run for weeks or even months. Unlike computers, microcontrollers don't run traditional operating systems. Your code runs directly on the chip. Like other microcontrollers, the Raspberry Pi Pico has dozens of input and output pins on the sides of the device. Those pins are important as they act as the interface with other components. For instance, you can make your microcontroller interact with an LED light, get data from various sensors, show some information on a display, etc. The Raspberry Pi Pico uses the RP2040 chip. It has a dual-core Arm processor (running at 133MHz), 264KB of RAM, 26 GPIO pins including 3 analog inputs, a micro-USB port and a temperature sensor. It doesn't come with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. And it costs $4.' -- source: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/21/01/21/1258214 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 577-5304 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

2 4

Critics fume after Github removes exploit code for Exchange vulnerabilities
by Peter Reutemann 13 Mar '21

13 Mar '21

'Github has ignited a firestorm after the Microsoft-owned code-sharing repository removed a proof-of-concept exploit for critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange that have led to as many as 100,000 server infections in recent weeks. ProxyLogon is the name that researchers have given both to the four Exchange vulnerabilities under attack in the wild and the code that exploits them. Researchers say that Hafnium, a state-sponsored hacking group based in China, started exploiting ProxyLogon in January, and within a few weeks, five other APTs—short for advanced persistent threat groups—followed suit. To date, no fewer than 10 APTs have used ProxyLogon to target servers around the Microsoft issued emergency patches last week, but as of Tuesday, an estimated 125,000 Exchange servers had yet to install it, security firm Palo Alto Networks said. The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have warned that ProxyLogon poses a serious threat to businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies that remain vulnerable. On Wednesday, a researcher published what’s believed to be the first largely working proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit for the vulnerabilities. Based in Vietnam, the researcher also published a post on Medium describing how the exploit works. With a few tweaks, hackers would have most of what they needed to launch their own in-the-wild RCEs, security speak for remote code execution exploits. Publishing PoC exploits for patched vulnerabilities is a standard practice among security researchers. It helps them understand how the attacks work so that they can build better defenses. The open source Metasploit hacking framework provides all the tools needed to exploit tens of thousands of patched exploits and is used by black hats and white hats alike. Within hours of the PoC going live, however, Github removed it. By Thursday, some researchers were fuming about the takedown. Critics accused Microsoft of censoring content of vital interest to the security community because it harmed Microsoft interests. Some critics pledged to remove large bodies of their work on Github in response.' -- source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/03/critics-fume-after-github-removes-e… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 577-5304 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

2 1

7-Zip Developer Releases the First Official Linux Version
by Peter Reutemann 13 Mar '21

13 Mar '21

'An official version of the popular 7-zip archiving program has been released for Linux for the first time. Bleeping Computer reports: Linux already had support for the 7-zip archive file format through a POSIX port called p7zip but it was maintained by a different developer. As the p7zip developer has not maintained their project for 4-5 years, 7-Zip developer Igor Pavlov decided to create a new official Linux version based on the latest 7-Zip source code. Pavlov has released 7-Zip for Linux in AMD64, ARM64, x86, and armhf versions, which users can download [via their respective links]. "These new 7-Zip binaries for Linux were linked (compiled) by GCC without -static switch. And compiled 32-bit executables (x86 and armhf) didn't work on some arm64 and amd64 systems, probably because of missing of some required .so files." "Please write here, if you have some advices how to compile and link binaries that will work in most Linux systems," Pavlov stated on his release page. ' -- source: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/21/03/12/2144238 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 577-5304 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

emergency mode
by thomas 11 Mar '21

11 Mar '21

Hello everybody hope all are well... but not me. This mail is from an old lappi with 12.04. because my current lap 18.04. is in emergency mode and I tried all advice from google and ubuntu to no success. Luckily I found you and hope you can help. I am not an IT expert just a normal user but this is business related and quite urgent. I am in Raglan and wheelchair bound but able to come to Hamilton any time and will pay any cost incurred. Thank you very much for your response Kind Regards Thomas Koppen

1 0

Up To 60,000 Computer Systems Exposed In Germany To Microsoft Flaw
by Peter Reutemann 11 Mar '21

11 Mar '21

'As many as 60,000 computer systems in Germany were exposed to a flaw that allows unauthorized users to access systems in Microsoft's email software, the head of its cybersecurity watchdog said on Wednesday. Reuters reports: More than half of the vulnerabilities were addressed following a warning last weekend by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), but around 25,000 systems still need to be fixed, BSI chief Arne Schoenbohm said. "The warning has worked. In Germany, many Exchange servers have been secured by downloading patches," Schoenbohm said in written comments to Reuters. "Every vulnerable system is one too many and can lead to harm." In a 14-page report on the Microsoft vulnerability, the BSI said the behavior of hackers exploiting it had changed sharply since it was publicly revealed. Initially, most targets had been think tanks, universities, non-governmental organizations, law firms and defense companies - mostly in the United States. "Now, these exploits are being deployed at mass scale against thousands of targets - apparently worldwide," the report said. At least 10 different hacking groups were using the latest flaw in Microsoft's mail server software to break into targets around the world, according to researchers at cybersecurity company ESET. In Germany, two federal authorities have been affected by the hack, the BSI said, declining to say which. ' -- source: https://it.slashdot.org/story/21/03/10/2230234 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 577-5304 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Hackers access security cameras inside Cloudflare, jails, and hospitals
by Peter Reutemann 11 Mar '21

11 Mar '21

'Hackers say they broke into the network of Silicon Valley startup Verkada and gained access to live video feeds from more than 150,000 surveillance cameras the company manages for Cloudflare, Tesla, and a host of other organizations. The group published videos and images they said were taken from offices, warehouses, and factories of those companies as well as from jail cells, psychiatric wards, banks, and schools. Bloomberg News, which first reported the breach, said footage viewed by a reporter showed staffers at Florida hospital Halifax Health tackling a man and pinning him to a bed. Another video showed a handcuffed man in a police station in Stoughton, Massachusetts, being questioned by officers. “I don’t think the claim ‘we hacked the internet’ has ever been as accurate as now,” Tillie Kottmann, a member of a hacker collective calling itself APT 69420 Arson Cats, wrote on Twitter.' -- source: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/03/hackers-access-secur… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 577-5304 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Linux Foundation Debuts Sigstore Project for Software Signing
by Peter Reutemann 11 Mar '21

11 Mar '21

'The Linux Foundation has announced the launch of Sigstore, a new nonprofit initiative that aims to improve open source software supply chain security by making it easier for developers to adopt cryptographic signing for different components of the software development process. From a report: Sigstore will be free for software providers and developers, who can use it to securely sign software artifacts such as release files, container images, binaries, and bill-of-material manifests. Signing materials are then stored in a tamper-proof public log. The service's code and operation tooling will be fully open source and maintained and developed by the Sigstore community. Founding members include Red Hat, Google, and Purdue University. The idea for the service came from Luke Hinds, security engineering lead in Red Hat's Office of the CTO. He pitched the concept to Google software engineer Dan Lorenc, and the two began to work on it. Now the Sigstore project has a "small but agile community" working on its development, Lorenc says.' -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/21/03/10/1446201 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 577-5304 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Chrome OS Did Lots of Growing Up in Its First Decade -- and There's More To Come
by Peter Reutemann 10 Mar '21

10 Mar '21

'FastCompany has a feature story on Chrome OS, which has turned 10. The story talks about a new feature of Chrome OS: A new version of Chrome OS rolling out starting today will introduce a long-under-development Phone Hub feature that'll let you see and interact with notifications from your Android phone on your Chromebook, without any complex configuration or clunky software required. You'll also be able to silence your phone, adjust some of its settings, and see and access recent Chrome browser tabs you had open on the device right from your Chrome OS desktop. Carefully examined clues in Google's open-source Chromium code suggest the system could eventually do even more -- with some indications that full-fledged phone-mirroring that would let you get access to all the apps and files on your phone from your Chromebook could be in the cards. I asked John Solomon's (VP and GM of Chrome OS at Google) colleague, Chrome OS Product Manager, Engineering, and UX Lead John Maletis, if and when such a capability might come online, and while he wouldn't outright confirm any future plans, he did allow that what we're seeing now is only scratching the surface. "You're just seeing the beginning," he says. "That little tiny Phone Hub real estate -- I would put a big 'Watch This Space' on it, because there's a lot of stuff we can and will do there." The publication also touched on Fuchsia, a new operating system that Google has been working on for several years: My final pressing question about the future of Chrome OS is simply how much of it there will be. In a familiar twist, the Android- and Chrome-OS-watching communities are once again filled with speculation that Google could be working to bring the two platforms together -- this time by way of a mysterious underdeveloped Google operating system known as Fuchsia. Officially, Google says only that Fuchsia is an "open-source effort to create a production-grade operating system that prioritizes security, updatability, and performance" across a "broad range of devices." But the vague nature of its ultimate purpose along with some eyebrow-raising bits of progress in its development -- such as the recent move to allow the operating system to support both Android and Linux apps as native programs -- raise some interesting questions about what, exactly, Google is actually up to with the effort. Solomon declined to answer directly about if or how Fuchsia might one day replace or otherwise relate to Chrome OS (and there are certainly more nuanced, less black-and-white possibilities to consider), but he did offer up some broad thoughts on what Google hopes to accomplish as time wears on.' -- source: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/21/03/09/2014247 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 577-5304 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

MIPS Technologies Joins RISC-V, Moves To Open-Source ISA Standard
by Peter Reutemann 09 Mar '21

09 Mar '21

'MIPS Technologies, the company that had been synonymous with the MIPS processor architecture, will now be developing processors based on RISC-V architecture. TuxPhones reports: The MIPS silicon manufacturer is one of the oldest RISC chip manufacturers, used in several systems since the late 80s. Characterized by clean and efficient designs, allowing adaption in varied applications, this company has been considered one of the most innovative in the market during its golden age - to the point that the Windows OS had a MIPS port in the early 90s. However, the company has been struggling with an increasingly lower market share and risked bankruptcy in recent years, ultimately leading to acquisition by start-up Wave Computing, which faced bankruptcy last year. How this company was reborn just weeks ago, exiting the state of bankruptcy, is surprising, but not at all irrational: in its official statement, (the new) MIPS has become a member of RISC-V International, the non-profit organization managing the fully open-hardware ISA, substantially replacing their current architecture with the de facto open chip standard in its entirety. Licensing of the original MIPS architecture to third parties will probably be managed as before, so that the "old" architecture will remain available upon need. This is officially known as the "8th generation" of MIPS chips, indicating a total architectural gap from the previous seven iterations, essentially leaving the old architecture and fully embracing the new one. The Electronic Engineering Journal says it's likely that the new MIPS will continue to honor pre-existing licensing agreements, but it's unclear what level of support the company will offer for older MIPS-based chip designs.' -- source: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/21/03/08/2117238 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 577-5304 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0