Tutorial - Rusersd Vulnerability

Rusersd Vulnerability

CVE 1999-0626

Summary

The rusersd process lists the users on a machine, what machine they are logged in from, idle and login time information and the device that they are using.

Impact

The rusersd process can be used to create a table of usage and provide a list of accounts and machine names.

Background

rusersd provides information about the users of a particular machine. This information includes what machine they are logged in from, idle and login time and information about the device they are using.

The Problem

The danger with rusersd is that it can be used to create a table of usage that provides a list of accounts and machine names. The attacker can use this information to try to attack accounts and other machines.

Resolution

To eliminate this vulnerability, rusersd should be disabled by editing the inetd.conf file, commenting out the rusersd service, and by sending a HUP signal to the inetd process.