News from SecurityFocus

I picked this up from SecurityFocus this morning. I thought I'd share it with you.

SecurityFocus™ Identifies New DDoS Tool
by SecurityFocus
SecurityFocus has identified a new hybrid tool that combines distributed denial of service (DDoS) tools, with the automated propagation techniques previously seen only in worms.

SecurityFocus ARIS™ Incident Analysts identified a rapidly growing network of controlled agents or "bots", increasing 600% in the last 6 hours, which can be used to launch a DDoS attack. The tool is propagated through incorrectly configured Microsoft™ SQL server systems by scanning the System Administrator accounts that contain a password specified by the attacker.

SecurityFocus recommendations:
Verify that the System Administrator "sa" account does not have a blank password if running Microsoft SQL server
Use a firewall to block port 1433
The tool named "Voyager Alpha Force," a modified and enhanced version of the DDoS tool, Kaiten, is human controlled through Internet Relay Chat (IRC) communications by connecting to an IRC server and joining a password-protected channel. An attacker is effectively able to control a large number of agents residing on compromised hosts, by issuing commands that would initiate a DDoS attack or cause the program to continue propagating.

SecurityFocus ARIS and SIA premium customers received early warning as part of the services. Additional information about the DDOS Tool can be found at http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/75.

Elias Levy
Chief Technical Officer - SecurityFocus