BitchX 1.0c19 IRC Client Backdoored

JRAC writes "A recent Bugtraq submission has indicated that the popular IRC client, BitchX, contains a backdoor. So far, only certain 1.0c19 files, downloaded from ftp.bitchx.com are reported to contain the malicious code. The BitchX developers have been notified, so hopefully a fix will be issued soon. Looks like irssi wasn't the only one ;)"

Comments

GNU/Linux needs signed downloads

[splorf]

I'm sorry but this is one thing Microsoft and/or Netscape did right. The practice of including detached PGP signatures on download sites is useless--they have to be manually verified, and hardly anyone bothers.

GNU/Linux downloads should be in signed archives like Netscape JAR files. JAR files are basically ZIP archives with a signature file stored inside the .zip in a standard place. When you unpack the archive, the unpacker checks the signature the same way a browser checks an SSL web site.

JAR files use a certificate chain ending in a certificate authority (usually a commercial one) but maybe the signed-download scheme could be signed against a certificate on the official developer's website. Of course that wouldn't be unspoofable, but it would be as secure as the current scheme of having a PGP public key on the developer website and signing against that. The main benefit is the checking would happen automatically, so it would be much harder to put crap into downloads. If someone makes a modified version, they would have to sign it themselves (with a signature pointing back to their own website) or else the unpacker would print a message saying the code was unsigned and the user should check it carefully before using it.

Re:See, this is what's cool about OSS..

[toupsie]

If BitchX was some sort of closed-source product, how long might this have taken to show up? Many eyes lock down all backdoors.

Not to burst your bubble, but if BitchX was closed source, I doubt a third party would have access to the source code to inject the trojaned backdoor, modify the FTP server and set up a bizarre distribution method (has anyone figured this out yet?). Granted many eyes helped find this problem, but in a closed source world, this wouldn't happen unless you had a disgruntled employee or a really stupid project manager. If BitchX were a commercial, closed source product, the exploit would most likely be a buffer overflow, not a blatant backdoor.

Disclaimer: I use a closed source IRC product called, Ircle.

Re:See, this is what's cool about OSS..

[Fizzlewhiff]

Not sure but on my non OSS operating system I run firewalls and intrusion detection software to help me catch spyware and other things which are accessing ports which I am not aware of. Since I'm not the only one who does this I would think the backdoor would be found. You don't have to see the source code to find holes if you can see the holes.

Frankly I am quite tired of this common belief that thousands of eyes are constantly scanning OSS looking for problems to fix. In the 9 or so years I have been using Linux and GNU software I have never looked for such things. Maybe that is because I am a developer and spend enough time with my code. Even when I first started with Linux and things like CDROM and NICs required patching and compiling I was content with the code I was downloading. Hobbiests tended not to screw other hobbiests (unless money is changing hands) and I tend to still believe that. I really doubt there are that many people who police code. If you are working on something and notice a problem then you submit a patch but the belief of a huge and constant code review going on is a false one as far as I am concerned.

With the popularity of Linux and free software however and the perceived threat to some commercial software it might be wise for OSS project leaders to be extra careful of new code that slips in. I have belived for a while that sooner or later we will see companies like Microsoft or Sun let slip some pattented code into a free software project just so they can come back later and shut it down with a lawsuit. Face it, these companies are getting hurt. A project like Mono has the potential to hurt .Net and if successful hurt Java. I would not have thought that someone would slip in a backdoor into a project however.

Anyway, I don't think you can look at OSS or a closed source project and say one is more "secure" than the other. I think it really comes down to how it is managed and the quality of the people who are contributing. You might also want to consider they type of application.

As far as IRC goes, this is a community where you are judged by how "bad-ass" your kick scripts are and your "l33t h4xx0r" skills. I'd be cautious of any IRC tool I used for that matter.