Agenda: host-security-exercises.txt

Host Security Exercises - PacNOG 10

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I.  System Services

In this section we'll be using some of the commands that are used to 
monitor a running system.  Unix Systems Administrators use these
commands every day.  Remember to use the manual pages if you need
to check the options and syntax of commands:

        % man ps
        % man netstat

( the manpages below will not be there until you install the utilities )

        % man lsof
        % man nmap
        % man last
        % man acct

You need to know how to stop and start services.

a) service

        1. Start a webserver on your system.  Verify that the 
        system is running using: 1) ps 2) lsof 3) nmap

        % sudo apt-get install apache2

Did the webserver start up after install?
If you open a browser, can you connect to: http://pcXX.ws.nsrc.org

        2. Stop the service

        % sudo service apache2 stop

Try the browser test again.  Can you connect?

        3. Start the service again

        % sudo service apache2 start

Now, instead of using a browser, let's verify that the service
is running using all of our tools: %ps, %lsof, %netstat, and %nmap

* INSTALL THE nmap and lsof PACKAGES! *

        % sudo apt-get install nmap
        % sudo apt-get install lsof

Now let's see what is running on the system:

        % ps -af | grep apache2

        % netstat -apt

        % netstat -lpt                          # is the webserver running???

        % netstat -lnpt  ( what is different on this command )

        % nmap localhost                        # is the webserver running???

        % sudo lsof | grep apache2

        % sudo lsof | grep apache2 | grep TCP   # is the webserver running???

Now, stop the service again.

        4. Stop the service again

        % sudo service apache2 stop

        Now run your different commands for looking at the system again.

        % ps -af | grep apache2
        % netstat -lpt
        % nmap localhost
        % sudo lsof | grep apache2

        Did you see anything running?
        
b) update-rc.d

Now, let's make sure that we have all of the systems in place
so that if the machine is rebooted, we know whether or not the
apache2 service is going to be started.

1. see what is there now

        % ls /etc/init.d

        % ls /etc/rc3.d

        % ls /etc/rc5.d

Are the apache startup files in the system?
That is, do you see files named: /etc/rc3.d/SXXapache2
or named /etc/rc5.d/SXXapache2 ???

2. let's say we do *NOT* want apache2 to run at startup.
Let's disable the service using the "update-rc.d" command:

        % sudo service apache2 stop

        % sudo update-rc.d apache disable

Now let's look at those directories again.
Do we have any startup files in /etc/rc?.d/S*apache* ???

        % ls /etc/init.d
        % ls /etc/rc3.d
        % ls /etc/rc5.d

Take a look at rc3.d and rc5.d directories.
What other scripts run in rc3.d ???

c) initctl

List the running services?  What is the command option
you use with initctl to show all services?

        % man initctl

        % sudo initctl ???

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II. System Updates

Let's make sure the system is up-to-date.
When ever we install a system, the first thing
we do is apply updates.

a) system updates

        % sudo apt-get update           # this updates the package cache

        % sudo apt-get upgrade          # this performs the upgrade

Now let's make sure that we have Security updates automatically.
To do this we need the "unattended-upgrades" package?

b) security updates

Do you already have the packages?

        % sudo ls /etc/apt/apt.conf.d

If not, install it:

        % sudo apt-get install unattended-upgrades

Now let's check again:

        % sudo ls /etc/apt/apt.conf.d

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III. Filesystem Integrity

In this section, we'll add the programs necessary for monitoring
filesystem integrity.  We'll do this at multiple levels, using the
debsums, the fcheck, and the incron packages.

a) debsums

You keep the checksums of the files up to date.  You must remember to
update the checksums after you make major changes to the system.

        % sudo apt-get install debsums

Initialize the debsums database:

        % sudo debsums_init

Now let's change something in the filesystem and see if
debsums can detect it:

        % sudo mv /sbin/ss /sbin/st

        % sudo debsums -c

Did debsums detect the change???

        % let's move the file back in place

        % sudo mv /sbin/st /sbin/ss

b) incrond

Inotify in the kernel can provide real-time notification of filesystem
changes.  Install the incron package and configure incrond to monitor important
filesystems.

        % sudo apt-get install incron

        % tail /var/log/sys

        % cd /etc/incron.d

        % vi globals            # add the following line to the globals file:

/etc IN_MODIFY,IN_CLOSE_WRITE,IN_CREATE,IN_DELETE /usr/bin/logger -p news.warn "$% $@/$#"

That's it.  The changes you make to incron are updated automatically.
Because incron can recognize changes, it even recognizes when you change
the configuration for incron, and it updates.

Now add a file to the /etc directory:

        % sudo touch /etc/dog

Take a look at /var/log/syslog.  What does it say???

        % sudo tail /var/log/syslog

From now on, any changes you make in the /etc directory will
generate syslog messages.

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IV. Enable System Accounting

System accounting gives us logs of all the commands that 
have run and terminated on the system.  Let's see if we
have the acct package:

        % which sa

Did "which" find the command?  If not install the package:

        % sudo apt-get install acct

        % which sa

Let's run a command and see if acct records it.

        % whoami

        % sudo sa -u

Did "sa" show a record for the command?

Let's try the "lastcomm" command as well:

        % lastcomm sysadm
        
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Now we have a system that is up-to-date, and it 
gets security updates automatically.  We are monitoring
the system files with debsums, and we are logging changes
immediately as well with the incron/inotify.  We have
disabled services that are not necessary.  And we have
accounting records to log commands.

This is basic host security that system administrators
will do on every host they deploy.

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