This message is a follow-up to the recent rash of spoofed mail
messages requesting users to mail their /etc/passwd file to another
address.  There have been two scenarios, the first requesting
users to mail their /etc/password file to an account on helix.net
(this site is currently addressing the issue); and the second,
requesting users to mail their /etc/password file to sfu.ca.
Note that the message in the second scenario has been signed:

	  Peter Van Epp      Technical Systems Operations
			     CERT Security Advisor
			     vanepp@sfu.ca


This message was a forgery from a stolen account on helix.net.  

Again, the responsible administrators at both helix.net and sfu.ca are
aware of the activity.  Peter Van Epp has indicated that no account or
machines at SFU were involved in this activity other than as the
target of the forgery.

As many of you will most likely have a set of new (possibly novice)
users, we would like to encourage you to distribute to your users the
appended CERT advisory concerning "social engineering" that was
published a few years ago.  While the advisory related to obtaining a
just a single password, in general, the recommendations are still
valid today.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CA-91:04                       CERT Advisory
                               April 18, 1991
			     Social Engineering
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

DESCRIPTION:

The Computer Emergency Response Team/Coordination Center (CERT/CC) has
received several incident reports concerning users receiving requests
to take an action that results in the capturing of their password.  The
request could come in the form of an e-mail message, a broadcast, or a
telephone call.  The latest ploy instructs the user to run a "test"
program, previously installed by the intruder, which will prompt the
user for his or her password.  When the user executes the program, the
user's name and password are e-mailed to a remote site.  We are
including an example message at the end of this advisory.

These messages can appear to be from a site administrator or root.  In
reality, they may have been sent by an individual at a remote site, who
is trying to gain access or additional access to the local machine via
the user's account.

While this advisory may seem very trivial to some experienced users,
the fact remains that MANY users have fallen for these tricks (refer to
CERT Advisory CA-91:03).

IMPACT:

An intruder can gain access to a system through the unauthorized use of
the (possibly privileged) accounts whose passwords have been
compromised.  This problem could affect all systems, not just UNIX 
systems or systems on the Internet.

SOLUTION:

The CERT/CC recommends the following actions:

    1)  Any users receiving such a request should verify its authenticity
        with their system administrator before acting on the instructions
        within the message.  If a user has received this type of
        request and actually entered a password, he/she should immediately
        change his/her password to a new one and alert the system 
        administrator.

    2)  System administrators should check with their user communities
        to ensure that no user has followed the instructions in such
        a message. Further, the system should be carefully examined for
	damage or changes that the intruder may have caused.  We also
	ask that you contact the CERT/CC.

    3)  The CERT/CC urges system administrators to educate their users
	so that they will not fall prey to such tricks.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAMPLE MESSAGE as received by the CERT (including spelling errors, etc.)

       OmniCore is experimenting in online - high resolution graphics
       display on the UNIX BSD 4.3 system and it's derivitaves. But, we
       need you're help in testing our new product - TurboTetris.
       So, if you are not to busy, please try out the ttetris game in your
       machine's /tmp directory. just type:

       /tmp/ttetris

       Because of the graphics handling and screen-reinitialazation, you will
       be prompted to log on again. Please do so, and use your real password.
       Thanks you for your support. You'll be hearing from us soon!


                 OmniCore

END OF SAMPLE MESSAGE
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