Server compromised, system files changed

newlinuxnewbie · 10-11-2005, 02:12 PM

One of my servers had been compromised and some of the system files had been changed. My admin suggested a reinstall, however I am hesitant due to the downtime. The server after being compromised have been hardened, but since some system files were edited/replaced, the risk of being hacked again is still very high. If you were in my shoes, would you go with a reinstall? What are the potential hazards of not reinstalling?

anomie · 10-11-2005, 02:28 PM

Quote:

If you were in my shoes, would you go with a reinstall? What are the potential hazards of not reinstalling?

Yes, but: You need to figure out how the compromise occurred so that it does not again. You can also try to determine if/which data were affected. Finally, back up to another machine any files that were affected in case this will result in a law suit.

You need to reinstall Linux and correct the problem that led to the compromise. Hazards of not reinstalling? A system that is still compromised.

newlinuxnewbie · 10-11-2005, 02:32 PM

We still could not determine how it was compromised. Even worse, by disabling root login directly, we shut ourselves off and can't do any further analysis. If we can restore root access, we may be able to determine which files were modified, any way to fix this first?

anomie · 10-11-2005, 03:00 PM

How are you logging into the server - ssh?

You can login with your regular user and then

Code:

su -

right?

I also should say, the first thing to do when your server has been compromised is take it off the network.

XavierP · 10-11-2005, 03:22 PM

You seem to be having a lot of bad luck - 2 servers compromised? Or is it that you have posted about the same attack twice?

Thread closed.