📄 rfc2504.txt
字号:
Guttman, et. al. Informational [Page 16]
RFC 2504 Users' Security Handbook February 1999
Checking vital system files for corruption, tampering or malicious
replacement is very tedious work to do by hand. Fortunately there are
many virus detection programs available for PCs and Macintosh
computers. There are security auditing programs available for
UNIX-based computers. If software is downloaded from the network, it
is wise to run virus detection or auditing tools regularly.
If it becomes clear that a home system has been attacked, it is time
to clean up. Ideally, a system should be rebuilt from scratch. This
means erasing everything on the hard disk. Next, install the
operating system and then all additional software the system needs.
It is best to install the operating system and additional software
from the original distribution diskettes or CD-roms, rather than from
backup storage. The reason for this is that a system may have been
broken into some time ago, so the backed up system or program files
may already include some altered files or viruses. Restoring a system
from scratch is tedious but worthwhile. Do not forget to re-install
all security related fixes you had installed before the security
incident. Obtain these from a verified, unsuspicious source.
6.3 Email
Remember to be careful with saved Email. Copies of sent or received
Email (or indeed any file at all) placed in storage provided by an
Internet service provider may be vulnerable. The risk is that
someone might break into the account and read the old Email. Keep
your Email files, indeed any sensitive files, on your home machine.
7. Home Alone
A home system can be broken into over the Internet if a home user is
unwary. The files on the home system can be stolen, altered or
destroyed. The system itself, if compromised, could be accessed
again some time in the future. This section describes issues and
makes recommendations relevant to a home user of the Internet.
7.1 Beware of Daemons
A home system which uses PPP to connect directly to the Internet is
increasingly common. These systems are at the greatest risk if they
run certain kinds of programs called "services". If you run a
service, you are in effect making your computer available to others
across the network. Some services include:
- File servers (an NFS server, a PC with 'file sharing' turned on)
- An FTP server
- A Web server
Guttman, et. al. Informational [Page 17]
RFC 2504 Users' Security Handbook February 1999
There are, in general, two types of programs which operate on the
Internet: Clients (like web browsers and Email programs) and Servers
(like web servers and mail servers).
Most software which runs on home systems is of the client variety;
but, increasingly, server software is available on traditionally
client platforms (e.g., PCs). Server software which runs in the
background is referred to as a "daemon" (pronounced dee-mon). Many
Internet server software programs that run as daemons have names that
end in `d', like "inetd" (Internet Daemon) and "talkd" (Talk Daemon).
When set to run, these programs wait for clients to request some
particular service from across the network.
There are four very important things to keep in mind as far as the
security implications of running services on a home computer are
concerned.
- First and most important, if a server is not properly configured,
it is very vulnerable to being attacked over a network. It is
vital, if you run services, to be familiar with the proper
configuration. This is often not easy, and may require training
or technical expertise.
- All software has flaws, and flaws exploited deviously can be used
to breach computer security. If you run a server on your home
machine, you have to stay aware. This requires work: You have to
stay in touch with the supplier of the software to get security
updates. It is highly recommended that you keep up with security
issues through on-line security forums. See [RFC2196] for a list
of references.
If security flaws in your server software are discovered, you will
need to either stop using the software or apply "patches" or
"fixes" which eliminate the vulnerability. The supplier of the
software, if it is a decent company or freeware author, will
supply information and updates to correct security flaws. These
"patches" or "fixes" must be installed as soon as possible.
- As a rule of thumb, the older the software, the greater the chance
that it has known vulnerabilities. This is not to say you should
simply trust brand new software either! Often, it takes time to
discover even obvious security flaws in servers.
- Some servers start up without any warning. There are some web
browsers and telnet clients which automatically start FTP servers
if not explicitly configured to not do so. If these servers are
not themselves properly configured, the entire file system of the
home computer can become available to anyone on the Internet.
Guttman, et. al. Informational [Page 18]
RFC 2504 Users' Security Handbook February 1999
In general, any software MAY start up a network daemon. The way to
be safe here is to know the products you are using. Read the manual,
and if any questions arise, call the company or mail the author of
free software to find out if you are actually running a service by
using the product.
A home user running a remote login service on his home machine faces
very serious risks. This service allows the home user to log in to
his home machine from other computers on the Internet and can be
quite convenient. But the danger is that someone will secretly
observe the logging in and then be able to masquerade as the user
whenever they choose to do so in the future. See "The Wires Have
Ears" which suggests precautions to take for remote log in.
If possible, activate all "logging" options in your server software
which relate to security. You need to review these logs regularly in
order to gain any benefit from this logging. You should also be
aware that logs often grow very quickly in size, so you need to be
careful they don't fill up your hard disk!
7.2 Going Places
Remote logins allow a user privileged access onto physically remote
systems from the comfort of his own home.
More and more companies are offering their employees the ability to
work from home with access to their computer accounts through dial-up
connections. As the convenience of Internet connectivity has led to
lowered costs and wide-spread availability, companies may allow
remote login to their systems via the Internet. Customers of
companies with Internet access may also be provided with remote login
accounts. These companies include Internet service providers, and
even banks. Users should be very careful when making remote logins.
As discussed in "The Wires have Ears" section, Internet connections
can be eavesdropped on. If you intend to use a remote login service,
check that the connection can be done securely, and make sure that
you use the secure technologies/features.
Connections may be secured using technologies like one-time
passwords, secure shell (SSH) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). One-
time passwords make a stolen password useless to steal, while secure
shell encrypts data sent over the connection. Please refer to "Don't
Get Caught in the Web" for a discussion on SSL. Secure services such
as these have to be made available on the systems to which you log in
remotely.
Guttman, et. al. Informational [Page 19]
RFC 2504 Users' Security Handbook February 1999
7.3 Secure It!
Administering your own home computer means you get to choose what
software is run on it. Encryption software provides protection for
data. If you keep business records and other sensitive data on your
computer, encryption will help to keep it safe. For example, if you
ran a network service from your home computer and missed setting
restrictions on a private directory, a remote user (authorized or
not) may gain access to files in this private directory. If the
files are encrypted, the user will not be able to read them. But as
with all forms of encryption running on any system, the keys and
passwords should first be kept safe!
8. A Final Note
This document has provided the reader with an introduction and as
much concise detail as possible. Present security issues go out of
date quickly, and although effort has been made to keep discussions
general, examples given may not be relevant in the future as the
Internet and computer industry continue to grow.
Just as home-owners are now taking increased cautions at the expense
of convenience, to secure their homes in the changing world we live
in, computer network users should not ignore security. It may be
inconvenient, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.
Guttman, et. al. Informational [Page 20]
RFC 2504 Users' Security Handbook February 1999
Appendix: Glossary of Security Terms
Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
A set of rules and guidelines that specify in more or less detail
the expectations in regard to appropriate use of systems or
networks.
Account
See (Computer) Account
Anonymous and Guest Log In
Services may be made available without any kind of authentication.
This is commonly done, for instance, with the FTP protocol to
allow anonymous access. Other systems provide a special account
named "guest" to provide access, typically restricting the
privileges of this account.
Auditing Tool
Tools to analyze computer systems or networks in regard to their
security status or in relation to the set of services provided by
them. COPS (Computer Oracle Password and Security analyzer) and
SATAN (Security Administrator's Tool for Analyzing Networks) are
famous examples of such tools.
Authentication
Authentication refers to mechanisms which are used to verify the
identity of a user. The process of authentication typically
requires a name and a password to be supplied by the user as proof
of his identity.
Centrally-Administered Network
A network of systems which is the responsibility of a single group
of administrators who are not distributed but work centrally to
take care of the network.
Certificate
Certificates are data which is used to verify digital signatures.
A certificate is only as trustworthy as the agency which issued
it. A certificate is used to verify a particular signed item,
such as an Email message or a web page. The digital signature,
the item and the certificate are all processed by a mathematical
Guttman, et. al. Informational [Page 21]
RFC 2504 Users' Security Handbook February 1999
program. It is possible to say, if the signature is valid, that
"According to the agency which issued the certificate, the signer
was (some name)".
Clean System
A computer which has been freshly installed with its operating
system and software obtainied from trusted software distribution
media. As more software and configuration are added to a
computer, it becomes increasingly difficult to determine if the
computer is 'clean' or has been compromised by viruses, trojan
horse or misconfiguration which reduces the security of the
system.
⌨️ 快捷键说明
复制代码
Ctrl + C
搜索代码
Ctrl + F
全屏模式
F11
切换主题
Ctrl + Shift + D
显示快捷键
?
增大字号
Ctrl + =
减小字号
Ctrl + -