One document matched: draft-allman-ftp-sec-consider-00.txt

Internet Engineering Task Force                              Mark Allman
INTERNET DRAFT                                           Shawn Ostermann
File: draft-allman-ftp-sec-consider-00.txt               Ohio University
                                                       December 23, 1996
                                                  Expires: June 23, 1997    
    
    
                      FTP Security Considerations
    

Status of this Memo
                                    
    This document is an Internet-Draft.  Internet-Drafts are working
    documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas,
    and its working groups.  Note that other groups may also distribute
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Abstract
    
    The specification for the File Transfer Protocol contains a number
    of mechanisms that can be used to compromise network security.  The
    FTP specification allows a client to instruct a server to transfer
    files to a third machine.  This third-party mechanism, known as
    proxy FTP, causes a well known security problem.  The FTP
    specification also allows an unlimited number of attempts at
    entering a user's password.  This allows brute force "password
    guessing" attacks.  This document provides suggestions for system
    administrators and those implementing FTP servers that will decrease
    the security problems associated with FTP.

1   Introduction

    The File Transfer Protocol specification [PR85] provides a mechanism
    that allows a client to establish a data connection and transfer a
    file between two FTP servers.  This "proxy FTP" mechanism can be
    used to decrease the amount of traffic on the network; the client
    instructs one server to transfer a file to another server, rather
    than transfering the file from the first server to the client and
    then from the client to the second server.  This is particularly
    useful when the client connects to the network using a slow link
    (e.g., a modem).  While useful, proxy FTP also provides a security
    problem, known as a "bounce attack".  In addition to the bounce
    

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    attack, FTP servers can be used by attackers to guess passwords
    using brute force.

    This paper provides information for FTP server implementers and
    system administrators, as follows.  Section 2 describes the FTP
    "bounce attack".  Section 3 provides suggestions for minimizing the
    bounce attack.  Section 4 provides suggestions for servers which
    limit access based on network address.  Finally, section 5 provides
    recommendations for limiting brute force "password guessing" by
    clients.

2   The Bounce Attack

    The version of FTP specified in the standard [PR85] provides a
    method for attacking well known network servers, while making the
    perpetrators difficult to track down.  The attack involves sending
    an FTP "PORT" command to an FTP server containing the network
    address and the port number of the machine and service being
    attacked.  At this point, the original client can instruct the FTP
    server to send a file to the service being attacked.  Such a file
    would contain commands relevant to the service being attacked (SMTP,
    NNTP, etc.).  Instructing a third party to connect to the service,
    rather than connecting directly, makes tracking down the perpetrator
    difficult and can circumvent network address based access
    restrictions.

    As an example, a client uploads a file containing SMTP commands to
    an FTP server.  Then, using an appropriate PORT command, the client
    instructs the server to open a connection to a third machine's SMTP
    port.  Finally, the client instructs the server to transfer the
    uploaded file containing SMTP commands to the third machine.  This
    allows the client to forge mail on the third machine without making
    a direct connection.  This makes it difficult to track attackers.

3   Protecting Against the Bounce Attack

    The original FTP specification [PR85] assumes that data connections
    will be made using the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) [Pos81].
    TCP port numbers in the range 0 - 1023 are reserved for well known
    services such as mail, network news and FTP control connections
    [RP94].  The FTP specification makes no restrictions on the TCP port
    number used for the data connection.  Therefore, using proxy FTP,
    clients have the ability to tell the server to attack a well known
    service on any machine.

    To avoid such bounce attacks, it is SUGGESTED that servers not open
    data connections to TCP ports less than 1024.  If a server receives
    a PORT command containing a TCP port number less than 1024, the
    SUGGESTED response is 504 (defined as "Command not implemented for
    that parameter" by [PR85]).

    Several proposals (e.g., [AO96] and [Pis94]) provide a mechanism
    that would allow data connections to be made using a transport
    

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    protocol other than TCP.  Similar precautions should be taken to
    protect well known services when using these protocols.

4   Restricted Access

    For some FTP servers, it is desirable to restrict access based on
    network address.  For example, a server might want to restrict
    access to certain files from certain places (e.g., a certain file
    should not be transferred out of an organization).  In such a
    situation, the server SHOULD confirm that the network address of the
    remote hosts on both the control connection and the data connection
    are within the organization before sending a restricted file.  By
    checking both connections, a server is protected against the case
    when the control connection is trusted and the data connection is
    not. 

5   Protecting Against Password Guessing
    
    To minimize the risk of brute force password guessing through the
    FTP server, it is SUGGESTED that servers limit the number of
    attempts which can be made at sending a correct password.  After a
    small number of attempts (3-5), the server SHOULD close the control
    connection with the client.  In addition, it is SUGGESTED that the
    server impose a 5 second delay before replying to an invalid "PASS"
    command. 

6   Conclusion

    Using the above suggestions can decrease the security problems
    associated with FTP servers without eliminating functionality.

Acknowledgments

    We would like to thank Alex Belits, Jim Bound, Robert Elz, Paul
    Hethmon and Alun Jones for their helpful comments on this paper. 
    
References

    [AO96] Mark Allman and Shawn Ostermann.  FTP Extensions for Variable
        Protocol Specification, October 1996.  I-D
        draft-allman-ftp-variable-03.txt (work in progress).

    [Pis94] D. Piscitello.  FTP Operation Over Big Address Records
        (FOOBAR), June 1994.  RFC 1639.

    [Pos81] J. Postel.  Transmission Control Protocol, September 1981.
        RFC 793.

    [PR85] J. Postel and J. Reynolds.  File Transfer Protocol (FTP),
        October 1985.  RFC 959.
    
    [RP94] J. Reynolds and J. Postel.  Assigned Numbers, October 1994.
        RFC 1700.


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Author's Addresses:
    
    Mark Allman and Shawn Ostermann
    School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
    Ohio University    
    416 Morton Hall
    Athens, OH  45701
    mallman@cs.ohiou.edu
    ostermann@cs.ohiou.edu
    












































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