New Worm Attacks Linux Devices
Symantec says Linux-Darlloz burrows in through PHP.
Symantec has announced the discovery of a new worm that attacks Linux systems. The potential targets include Linux computers, as well as home routers, set-top boxes, and other devices running embedded Linux. The Linux.Darlloz worm spreads by exploiting a vulnerability in php-cgi. Security experts have been aware of this exploit for over a year, and patches have been available for Linux systems since May 2012; however, unpatched home computers and embedded devices that rarely see updates are potentially vulnerable to attack.
According to Symantec's Kaoru Hayashi, who announced the worm on his blog, “...the worm generates IP addresses randomly, accesses a specific path on the machine with well known ID and passwords, and sends HTTP POST requests, which exploit the vulnerability. If the target is unpatched, it downloads the worm from a malicious server and starts searching for its next target.”
Hayashi states that the ultimate target for this attack could be the “Internet of Things.” Although the variant discovered in the lab is designed for attacking x86 systems, it appears the attacker has other versions of the worm tailored for ARM, PPC, MIPS, and MIPSEL architectures.
To keep the worm away, Symantec recommends the usual precautions, such as installing the latest software versions and patches and using stronger passwords. Also, Hayashi's blog post recommends configuring the gateway to block incoming HTTP POST requests to -/cgi-bin/php and several other specific paths related to php-cgi.
Issue 272/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
News
-
An All-Snap Version of Ubuntu is In The Works
Along with the standard deb version of the open-source operating system, Canonical will release an-all snap version.
-
Mageia 9 Beta 2 Ready for Testing
The latest beta of the popular Mageia distribution now includes the latest kernel and plenty of updated applications.
-
KDE Plasma 6 Looks to Bring Basic HDR Support
The KWin piece of KDE Plasma now has HDR support and color management geared for the 6.0 release.
-
Bodhi Linux 7.0 Beta Ready for Testing
The latest iteration of the Bohdi Linux distribution is now available for those who want to experience what's in store and for testing purposes.
-
Changes Coming to Ubuntu PPA Usage
The way you manage Personal Package Archives will be changing with the release of Ubuntu 23.10.
-
AlmaLinux 9.2 Now Available for Download
AlmaLinux has been released and provides a free alternative to upstream Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
-
An Immutable Version of Fedora Is Under Consideration
For anyone who's a fan of using immutable versions of Linux, the Fedora team is currently considering adding a new spin called Fedora Onyx.
-
New Release of Br OS Includes ChatGPT Integration
Br OS 23.04 is now available and is geared specifically toward web content creation.
-
Command-Line Only Peropesis 2.1 Available Now
The latest iteration of Peropesis has been released with plenty of updates and introduces new software development tools.
-
TUXEDO Computers Announces InfinityBook Pro 14
With the new generation of their popular InfinityBook Pro 14, TUXEDO upgrades its ultra-mobile, powerful business laptop with some impressive specs.