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Posted to users@httpd.apache.org by maillists <li...@gmnet.net> on 2006/01/19 16:12:57 UTC

[users@httpd] apache hacked to send spam!

Hello List, 

I have been trying to isolate attacks on my server where someone is
using apache to send spam from my host. I have been hit quite a bit in
the past 2 days. Some of my websites have web forms, but I'm pretty sure
that they are tight. 

This is a new
line item in my daily Logwatch in the sendmail area that just started to
appear with the spam attacks:

<snip>
Authentication warnings:
    apache set sender to info@gmnet.net using -f: 7 Times(s)
</snip>
(info@gmnet.net is a real user on my host.)

Does anybody know what this means?
Where should I start to find the problem?

I am using Redhat9
Apache/2.0.40
php-4.2.2-17.2
sendmail-8.12.8-9.90
sendmail-cf-8.12.8-9.90
mailscanner-4.23-11
mailscanner-mrtg-0.05-3
clamav-0.88
Interchange 5.4

Thanks!
Rick

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Re: [users@httpd] apache hacked to send spam!

Posted by maillists <li...@gmnet.net>.
On Thu, 2006-01-19 at 10:26 -0500, Mark McCulligh wrote:
> It most likely the php mail() function.  With the default install/config 
> when the mail() function sends an email it is sent by the Apache user.
> 
> If it is going to someone you know over and over (aka a client) it could 
> be a contact us page.
> 
> Mark.
> 
> maillists wrote:

Thanks Mark,

The spam is going out to many outside addresses of the world (sorry
everybody, I need to be sentenced to community service or something for
this)

Does anybody know what the following is in my Logwatch under sendmail
area?

<snip>
Authentication warnings:
    apache set sender to lists@gmnet.net using -f: 7 Times(s)
</snip>

Thanks Again! and I apologize if any of you got hit by the spam!

Rick



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Re: [users@httpd] apache hacked to send spam!

Posted by Mark McCulligh <mm...@visualtech.ca>.
It most likely the php mail() function.  With the default install/config 
when the mail() function sends an email it is sent by the Apache user.

If it is going to someone you know over and over (aka a client) it could 
be a contact us page.

Mark.

maillists wrote:

>Hello List, 
>
>I have been trying to isolate attacks on my server where someone is
>using apache to send spam from my host. I have been hit quite a bit in
>the past 2 days. Some of my websites have web forms, but I'm pretty sure
>that they are tight. 
>
>This is a new
>line item in my daily Logwatch in the sendmail area that just started to
>appear with the spam attacks:
>
><snip>
>Authentication warnings:
>    apache set sender to info@gmnet.net using -f: 7 Times(s)
></snip>
>(info@gmnet.net is a real user on my host.)
>
>Does anybody know what this means?
>Where should I start to find the problem?
>
>I am using Redhat9
>Apache/2.0.40
>php-4.2.2-17.2
>sendmail-8.12.8-9.90
>sendmail-cf-8.12.8-9.90
>mailscanner-4.23-11
>mailscanner-mrtg-0.05-3
>clamav-0.88
>Interchange 5.4
>
>Thanks!
>Rick
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>The official User-To-User support forum of the Apache HTTP Server Project.
>See <URL:http://httpd.apache.org/userslist.html> for more info.
>To unsubscribe, e-mail: users-unsubscribe@httpd.apache.org
>   "   from the digest: users-digest-unsubscribe@httpd.apache.org
>For additional commands, e-mail: users-help@httpd.apache.org
>
>  
>


-- 
___________________________________________
Mark McCulligh, Web Consultant
VisualTech Components www.VisualTech.ca
mmcculli@visualtech.ca
(519)318-7905


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Re: [users@httpd] apache hacked to send spam!

Posted by Ken Robinson <ke...@rbnsn.com>.
Quoting maillists <li...@gmnet.net>:

> Hello List,
>
> I have been trying to isolate attacks on my server where someone is
> using apache to send spam from my host. I have been hit quite a bit in
> the past 2 days. Some of my websites have web forms, but I'm pretty sure
> that they are tight.

Are these forms proccesed with PHP? Has the code been checked to make 
sure it is
immune to the PHP Mail Injection that surfaced last summer?

>
> This is a new
> line item in my daily Logwatch in the sendmail area that just started to
> appear with the spam attacks:
>
> <snip>
> Authentication warnings:
>     apache set sender to info@gmnet.net using -f: 7 Times(s)
> </snip>
> (info@gmnet.net is a real user on my host.)

In PHP, you can use the fifth parameter to the mail() function to set certain
attributes in the SMTP header. If the programmer uses '-f user@domain.name',
the  "Return-path:" header is set to 'user@domain.name'. Some email 
systems are
now rejecting the email if the domain name in the Return-path header is 
not the
same as the domain name in the "From:" header.

This warning and the spam probably are not connected

> I am using Redhat9
> Apache/2.0.40
> php-4.2.2-17.2

PHP 4.2.2 is rather old. I would suggest upgrading to at least 4.10 or 4.11

Ken




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