Security Basics: RE: Admin rights via backdoors

["Scott Ramsdell" <Scott.Ramsdell () cellnet com>]

Hi WALI,

You can setup a netcat listener on any port and instruct it to execute
any executable when the port is knocked.  It will of course inherit the
permissions of the user/service account that launches it.

So, in your specific scenario, the backdoor would contain netcat, open a
listening port and do whatever when knocked.  It would execute with the
rights the financial app has (which likely can read and write sensitive
info).

http://m.nu/program/util/netcat/netcat.html

Check it out, it's pretty cool.

Typically dev and prod environments are separate.  Once the code is
reviewed and approved, it moves out of dev and into the hands of the
admins who install it, then care and feed for the app.  Devs generally
have no rights on prod boxes.

Kind Regards,
Scott Ramsdell

-----Original Message-----
From: listbounce () securityfocus com [mailto:listbounce () securityfocus com]
On Behalf Of WALI
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2007 8:02 AM
To: security-basics () securityfocus com
Subject: Admin rights via backdoors

Hi Guys

I do understand the risks of seeing open ports on servers using
nmap/nessus 
but need to demonstrate a concept to my managers, the need for
segregating 
software developers and production environments, especially pertaining
to 
an financial application being built in-house.

I maintain that getting admin rights into an application while bypassing

logical access controls flowing down from Active directory or OS level
is 
trivial for a programmer if he hard codes some backdoor entry ports
replete 
with usernames and passwords. They disagree that if they have no AD
rights 
granted on the resource (different AD domains / filers etc), there is no

reason to physically isolate developers from production.

Is my contention conceptually correct? How can I demonstrate this with a

dummy application?