INFORMATION BULLETIN

E-14: wuarchive ftpd Trojan Horse

April 6, 1994 1640 PST

PROBLEM: Some copies of wuarchive FTP daemon (ftpd) source have been modified and contain a Trojan horse. PLATFORM: UNIX machines running wuarchive ftpd version 2.2 or earlier. DAMAGE: Root access may be obtained. SOLUTION: Disable the wuarchive ftpd, then retrieve and install wuarchive ftpd version 2.3

VULNERABILITY Intruders have used this Trojan horse to obtain root access ASSESSMENT: to computers on the Internet.

Critical Information about wuarchive ftpd Trojan Horse

CIAC has received information that some copies of the wuarchive FTP daemon (ftpd) versions 2.2 and 2.1f have been modified at the source code level to contain a Trojan horse. This Trojan allows any user, local or remote, to become root on the affected UNIX system.

CIAC strongly recommends that all sites running these or older versions of the wuarchive ftpd retrieve and install version 2.3. It is possible that versions previous to 2.2 and 2.1f contain the Trojan as well.

If the new version cannot be installed in a timely manner, all FTP service should be disabled, since this Trojan affects all systems that are running the wuarchive ftpd, whether or not the system provides anonymous ftp service.

Sites can obtain version 2.3 via anonymous FTP from ftp.uu.net, in the file /networking/ftp.wuarchive-ftpd/wu-ftpd-2.3.tar.Z. The BSD Checksum for this file is 24416 181, the SVR4 Checksum for this file is 30488 361, and the MD5 Digital Signature is e58adc5ce0b6eae34f3f2389e9dc9197.

CIAC services are available to DOE, DOE Contractors, and the NIH. CIAC can be contacted at:

    Voice:          +1 925-422-8193 (7 x 24)
    FAX:            +1 925-423-8002
    STU-III:        +1 925-423-2604
    E-mail:          ciac@ciac.org
    World Wide Web:  http://www.ciac.org/
    Anonymous FTP:   ftp.ciac.org

This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor the University of California nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the United States Government or the University of California. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or the University of California, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

UCRL-MI-119788
[Privacy and Legal Notice]