[support@backup.hmdc.harvard.edu: [hmdc.harvard.edu #4073] FYI: mon]
Some of you might find this one interesting.
In a world where IT security sometimes means keeping services out of
sight. Both Harvard and MIT advertise everything they have up and
running.
If I was a cracker running a DOS, I could use this information to
monitor the machines I knocked of the network. Additionally, this list
has all of the servers that both MIT and Harvard monitor in their data center.
The monitoring program being used is called mon. I use it and was
digging for info on the cgi interface that displays server info.
So, I thought I would warn them with this message:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
FYI:
A google search on mon brings up your cgi interface for mon.
http://www.google.com/search?q=mon+dns&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=10&sa=N
[see second page link line six]
Your mon program is accessible by the world.
With a current world wide population of 6.3 billion you are inviting an
attack.
http://www.populationmedia.org/
Please lock down access to the following host:
http://mon.hmdc.harvard.edu/mon.cgi?command=query_opstatus_full
Here is the reply:
----- Forwarded message from Matthew Cox via RT <support@backup.hmdc.harvard.edu> -----
X-RT-Loop-Prevention: hmdc.harvard.edu
Subject: [hmdc.harvard.edu #4073] FYI: mon
Managed-BY: Request Tracker 2.0.13 (http://www.fsck.com/projects/rt/)
From: Matthew Cox via RT <support@backup.hmdc.harvard.edu>
RT-Ticket: hmdc.harvard.edu #4073
Reply-To: support@backup.hmdc.harvard.edu
RT-Originator: mcox@latte.harvard.edu
To: tknab2@washcoll.edu
> Your mon program is accessible by the world.
We do intend for it to be publicly available. It allows us to give in
depth status to our various patrons.
> With a current world wide population of 6.3 billion you are inviting
> an attack.
There is no information on that page that couldn't be garned with a
quick NMAP scan.
Thank you for your concern.
Matt
--
Matthew P. Cox
Senior Systems Administrator / Systems Programmer
Harvard-MIT Data Center
----- End forwarded message -----
Ted Knab
Chester, Maryland
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