Well, Jeff, it could be any of a number of things, but I think you're on the
right track that it's more of a config thing than a code thing.

My first guess (from helping others with a similar kind of breakin) is that
the bad guys may have gotten in through the CFIDE/componentutils folder,
which many leave open to public access (requiring a login, but still
vulnerable). There's a certain URL they can compose that can allow them to
edit/upload files. Since few CF folks really use the CFC browser which the
componentutils provides access to, or they may not want it open publicly
(even though it does offer a login prompt), this is one of the folders you
can and should block entirely like the CFIDE/adminapi. If you're on IIS 7+,
is "request filtering" feature is the best way. I discuss that and other
options in a series of blog entries I did earlier this year, when a similar
but different exploit happened starting late last December. See the 3-part
series at:

http://www.carehart.org/blog/client/index.cfm/2013/1/

Now, you'll notice that the latest entry of the 3 talks about an Adobe
hotfix that addressed the particular vulnerability then (in the adminapi).
But here's the thing: you really need to lockdown these vulnerable folders
within the CFIDE (like adminapi and componentutils), because the bad guys
can and do come up with new ways to get in even after Adobe plugs one known
hole. They do mention in the technote for that Jan 13 security bulletin
(http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa13-01.html ) that you
should lock down those folders. 

They also mention locking down the CFIDE/administrator. That's a bit
different. While if you don't use the features provided by those other
folders at all (adminapi and componentutils) you can entirely block them,
you probably don't want to do that with the administrator directory, though
you may want to reconsider how accessible it is. The login prompt is not
enough: you should add IP address restrictions or additional web server
authentication to limit who can even see that (and therefore all the files
in that administrator directory). Again, I discuss that further in those 3
entries.

Finally, your bad guys may be exploiting an old FCKEditor code deep in the
CFIDE/scripts/ajax folder. The problem is that you can't just block that
folder (or indeed the CFIDE/scripts or the whole CFIDE folder) if indeed you
use CFML code that generates HTML that relies on that CFIDE/scripts folder.
Now, you could block it (the FCKeditor code) if you absolutely KNEW that
your code never used it, using the same approaches I discuss in the entries.
But if you can't block it, I'll warn of another potential problem:

It could be that you HAVE (or someone on your server HAS) applied hotfixes
that addressed previous FCKEditor vulnerabilities, but you/they may have
made a mistake in applying the update. I see many people who maybe apply a
given CF update/hotfix to ONE copy of the CFIDE, but then they have another
that they don't realize is in use (as a real or virtual directory in one or
more web sites) but which they DID NOT update at the same time, and
therefore remains vulnerable. I discuss that problem here:

http://www.carehart.org/blog/client/index.cfm/2011/10/21/why_chfs_may_break

Hope some of that may help you. You can also learn more about some aspects
of what I discuss above, and really a LOT more, in the Adobe CF LockDown
Guides, available for CF 10, 9, 8, and 7. I point to those in the blog
entries as well.

If you don't want to wade through all that info or perhaps may not trust
yourself to properly get these blocks and updates done correctly, I can help
with that by way of short-term remote assistance, with satisfaction
guaranteed. More at the consulting page at carehart.org.

/charlie

 

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jeff Howard
Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2013 9:30 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [ACFUG Discuss] AVG exploit blackhat seo type 1703

 

I have a client that has a user that uses AVG that had the alert "exploit
blackhat seo (type 1703)" pop up on a site that I do maintenance for. This
happened a few months back and it seemed unfounded. I got an email saying
that it is happening again and this time when I viewed the source code for
the page there was a bunch of injected links at the bottom of the page.

 

I've been researching for awhile now and I'm having a hard time figuring out
how the exploit happens (understandable) but I'm also having a hard time
finding how to prevent it from happening again.

 

Does anyone have any experience in dealing with this? If so, what steps can
I take to prevent it?

 

Something that is kind of confusing me as well is that client's client has 2
separate domains on their server. One is the site that I do maintenance for,
the other I have no access to but they are both displaying the same
error/alert. This makes me believe that it may be more server security than
web site security.

 

If anyone has any experience or knowledge they can share on this issue, I
gratefully thank you in advance for your assistance. 

 

Thanks,

Jeff




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