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Date:      Tue, 18 May 1999 13:15:28 +0300 (EEST)
From:      "Andy V. Oleynik" <andyo@mail.prime.net.ua>
To:        Dan Langille <junkmale@xtra.co.nz>
Cc:        freebsd-security@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: http attack(?)
Message-ID:  <Pine.BSF.3.96.990518130716.16577A-100000@mail.prime.net.ua>
In-Reply-To: <19990518095202.EPCY7623210.mta2-rme@wocker>

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If U remember, there was a problem in sendmail up to 8.9.2
with msgheader length exploit (starting 5 sessions 
has catastrofically slowed system down). My guess is
giving a request to HTTP like this 
"GET /vary.long.maybe.even.not.existent.URL..."
could lead to this problem. But it maybe the
question to apache.org.

On Tue, 18 May 1999, Dan Langille wrote:

> A few days ago, I noticed my machine was running extremely slowly.  I did a top 10 at the console and 
> got "too many open files".  Existing telnet sessions were non-responsive.  New telnets would not start. 
> 
> I then tried a top 5.  named and syslogd were busy.  
> 
> I looked at httpd.error and 21 of these spread over 14 seconds:
> [Sat May 15 16:45:34 1999] accept: (client socket): Too many open files in system
> 
> Looking in the access logs for one of my virtual websites I found this.  Bits have been snipped to save 
> repetition and conserve space.
> 
> per.wave.orc.ru - - [15/May/1999:10:55:57 +1200] "-" 408 -
> per.wave.orc.ru - - [15/May/1999:10:56:58 +1200] "-" 408 -
> 
> [etc]
> 
> per.wave.orc.ru - - [15/May/1999:16:42:21 +1200] "-" 408 -               
> per.wave.orc.ru - - [15/May/1999:16:42:49 +1200] "-" 408 -              
> 212.48.133.22 - - [15/May/1999:16:45:30 +1200] "-" 408 -              
> 212.48.133.22 - - [15/May/1999:16:46:19 +1200] "-" 408 -         
> 
> [at which point I guess httpd decided not to translate any more or named gave up]
> 
> [this is also roughly the point at which I noticed the system was slowing]
> 
> 212.48.133.22 - - [15/May/1999:16:55:35 +1200] "-" 408 -
> 212.48.133.22 - - [15/May/1999:16:55:40 +1200] "-" 408 -
> per.wave.orc.ru - - [15/May/1999:16:55:47 +1200] "-" 408 -
> per.wave.orc.ru - - [15/May/1999:16:55:47 +1200] "-" 408 -
> per.wave.orc.ru - - [15/May/1999:16:55:48 +1200] "-" 408 -
> per.wave.orc.ru - - [15/May/1999:16:55:48 +1200] "-" 408 -
> 212.48.133.22 - - [15/May/1999:16:55:59 +1200] "-" 408 -
> per.wave.orc.ru - - [15/May/1999:16:56:05 +1200] "-" 408 -
> per.wave.orc.ru - - [15/May/1999:16:56:47 +1200] "-" 408 -
> 
> [etc]
> 
> per.wave.orc.ru - - [15/May/1999:17:14:13 +1200] "-" 408 -
> 
> [ends]
> 
> I shortly thereafter started blocking this address at my firewall.  A further 200 or so packets were 
> blocked.  No further activity has been seen.  Messages sent to various addresses at orc.ru have gone 
> unanswered.
> 
> Is this a known attack?   A browser gone mad?
> 
> A remark on irc was that httpd was trying to consume more resources than the machine possessed.
> --
> Dan Langille - DVL Software Limited
> The FreeBSD Diary     - http://www.FreeBSDDiary.org/freebsd/
> NZ FreeBSD User Group - http://www.nzfug.nz.freebsd.org/
> The Racing System     - http://www.racingsystem.com/racingsystem.htm
> 
> 
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