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Date:      Fri, 16 Mar 2001 14:50:39 +0200
From:      Peter Pentchev <roam@orbitel.bg>
To:        Lukasz Pawlik <freebsd@btk.za.net>
Cc:        freebsd-security@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Invalid hostname
Message-ID:  <20010316145039.B22302@ringworld.oblivion.bg>
In-Reply-To: <20010316103954.A24855@btk.za.net>; from freebsd@btk.za.net on Fri, Mar 16, 2001 at 10:39:54AM %2B0000
References:  <20010316103954.A24855@btk.za.net>

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On Fri, Mar 16, 2001 at 10:39:54AM +0000, Lukasz Pawlik wrote:
> Hello,
> I'd like to ask for a little help. I dont understand one record
> which is printed by last.
> ash		ttyp2	invalid hostname Ndz 11 Mar 19:07 - 20:13   (01:06)
> 
> What the 'invalid hostname' is? If DNS failed, why there is no ip?
> Can someone explain me?
> Lukasz

'invalid hostname' is what /usr/bin/login puts into the wtmp record,
when it (login) is started with an '-h hostname' argument, and then
the DNS lookup of the specified hostname fails.  Thus, login cannot
put an IP address there, 'cause it's just the IP address lookup that
failed :)

The fun question is how did login get started with an invalid hostname
passed; how did the user in question log in to the machine?  Apparently
it was over the network, was it a telnet, SSH or some other kind of session?

G'luck,
Peter

-- 
If there were no counterfactuals, this sentence would not have been paradoxical.

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