(Update:) Fedora: Chronicle of a Server Break-in
In August 2008, the Fedora team noticed irregularities on its server. Project leader Paul W. Frields has now released a detailed report of the break-in.
Paul Frields's Update and Report on Fedora August 2008 Intrusion on the fedora-announce-list reads like a detective novel. It all started on August 12, 2008, when a cron job on a Fedora host reported an error. While reviewing the logs, Fedora admins found a change in the package complement that no one could explain. On short notice, the changes turned out to be tampering by an intruder. The project notified the community of the break-in and promptly pulled the server off the net.
It's now become clear how the rogue entered the server structure: he used no hacker tools, but simply authenticated himself using a copy of an SSH private key that was not passphrase-protected. The key belonged to a Fedora admin and in the log entries it showed that the intruder also cracked or knew the admin's password. How the intruder got to the SSH private key, however, nobody knows.
One of the compromised computers also contained the Fedora package signing key. The intruder created modified versions of the two packages OpenSSH and RPM to get to user passwords and, eventually, the password for the package signing key. Had he been successful, he could have introduced fraudulent packages into the repository. Fortunately the investigation found that
Fedora admins discovered the modified packages before anyone could use the server for package signing.
To mitigate any risk of this ever happening again, the Fedora project quickly rebuilt their entire infrastructure, generated new package signing keys and came up with a new security policy. In a week the most essential systems were back to normal and all admins got new SSH keys. A new repo security policy also required Fedora admin groups to use passphrases on their private keys, a definite break from the past.
Frields assured users that no compromised packages were ever delivered as a result of this break-in, either from the master repository or the mirror sites. He went on to thank the Red Hat security response team for their timely assistance.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.
-
SUSE Offers CentOS 7 Support with Liberty Linux Lite
SUSE's Liberty Linux support offering now includes CentOS 7, which means businesses won't be forced to migrate those servers for some time.
-
Ubuntu's App Center Finally Supports Local Installs Again
If you regularly download .deb files and would prefer a GUI method of installing, Ubuntu has your back.
-
AlmaLinux Now Supports Raspberry Pi 5
If you're looking to create with the Raspberry Pi 5 and want to use AlmaLinux as your OS, you're in luck because it's now possible.
-
Kubuntu Focus Releases New Iterations of Ir14 and Ir16 Laptops
If you're a fan of the Kubuntu Focus laptops or have been waiting for the right time to purchase one, that time might be now.
-
NixOS 24.05 Is Ready for Prime Time
The latest release of NixOS (Uakari) has arrived and offers its usual reproducible, declarative, and reliable goodness.
-
Linux Lite 7.0 Officially Released
Based on Ubuntu 24.04 and kernel 6.8, Linux Lite version 7 now offers more options than ever.
-
KaOS Linux 2024.05 Adds Bcachfs Support and More
With updates all around, KaOS Linux now includes support for the bcachefs file system.
Server
Susan
<a href="http://8080proxy.com">http://8080proxy.com</a>
Debian timing?
SELinux is still secure
Re: Corrections
Fedora compromised. Ironic since it is presumably SELINUX protected?
pgmer6809
Corrections.
I still love fedora
The cron may report an error but that hardly matters to my servers
was reading how to Set up RPM Fusion with Fedora to shore up multimedia support
http://www.techunits.com/linux/list/fedora