Re: How to Maintain an IIS Server?

From: Karl Levinson [x y] mvp (levinson_k@excite.com)
Date: 11/06/02 

From: "Karl Levinson [x y] mvp" <levinson_k@excite.com>
Date: Tue, 5 Nov 2002 23:06:02 -0500

"Stephen Pak" <asiats@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:eI2#BvThCHA.2700@tkmsftngp09...
> I looked at the Microsoft Security Website.
>
> I understand that there are a lot of information available there.
>
> Actually, I am particular interested in how to prevent worms (e.g.
> Nimda/Code Red/anything else). What anti-virus program is the best for
IIS
> server running on a Windows 2000 server.

Depends. I like Norton. Get a firewall or two as well, and close all ports
incoming and outgoing except for those that are needed.

> Also, what is the best procedures to restore the IIS server once it is
> hacked by someone. Or, I should ask what is the best way to backup the
> server. Any software or product is good for backup/restore (automatically
> backup) the entire site or even the computer.

You got it... once your web server has been hacked, you should consider
formatting and reinstalling Windows and all programs, then restoring data
from backups.

Since you asked, more info is below:

=============

How can I harden my computer or server to secure it from hackers?

A: [Note that if you have already been hacked, this section will not help
you re-secure your computer. In this case, you should first read the
section in this FAQ entitled "How can I re-secure my computer or server
after being hacked?"]

Here is the short answer:

1) Do not put the computer onto the network or the Internet until after the
computer has been hardened using the instructions below [or at least not
before a firewall and antivirus have been installed].
2) Use firewall software and hardware and antivirus software that is
configured to download updates every day;
3) Follow the instructions for hardening Windows and IIS at
www.microsoft.com/technet/security ;
4) Install all service packs and security fixes from Microsoft and
otherwise for all Microsoft software on your computer [Windows, IIS, Office,
Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, etc.] from
www.microsoft.com/technet/security ;
5) [Ongoing] Download MBSA from www.microsoft.com/download and run it now
and also at regular intervals to look for vulnerabilities in your settings,
new patches that are missing, etc. Also, check your antivirus to confirm
that the last successful update was less than 14 days ago.

These steps will make your computer fairly secure, but may still leave some
holes. Keep reading below for additional information you should be aware
of:

A successful hacker, virus or worm intrusion into one of your computers can
drain your free disk space, slow down your Internet connection, compromise
your credit card numbers, damage your personal documents, allow intruders to
access other machines on your network that DO contain important files,
and/or leave you legally liable for other government or business computers
on the Internet that are hacked by an intruder using your computer. This is
why you should consider securing ALL the computer systems in your home or
network, even if you think there is nothing important on the computer or it
is "just a test computer."

All Windows users should seriously consider all of the procedures below to
help prevent intrusions on their computers:

1) Do not put the computer onto the network or the Internet until after the
computer has been hardened using the instructions below. [Un-secured
computers can be hacked in just 15 minutes or less after being put onto the
Internet.] Depending on your environment, it may be acceptable to put your
computer on the Internet after installing a firewall and antivirus software
with the latest updates.

2) Seriously consider enabling or installing firewall software and/or
firewall hardware. There are a number of free firewalls available,
including the ICF feature that comes with Windows XP [unless XP is joined to
a Windows domain], and/or other third-party firewalls available on the
Internet.

For more information on how and where to locate free and not-free firewall
software and hardware, see the section in this FAQ entitled "Which firewall
should I choose? Which firewall is the best?"

3) Seriously consider installing an antivirus program and configure it to
automatically download updates daily.

For more information on where and how to locate and use free and not-free
antivirus software, see the section in this FAQ entitled "Which antivirus
should I choose? Which antivirus is the best?"

4) Follow the instructions for hardening Windows 2000 and also IIS [if IIS
is installed] at www.microsoft.com/technet/security

[Note that for Windows 2000 / NT, hardening IIS should include installing
IISlockdown including URLScan. For computers with FTP service installed, it
should include removing the Posix subsystem and removing write permission
from the anonymous user account, among other things. Information on
removing the Posix subsystem is available at:
www.microsoft.com/technet/security/tools/chklist/CheckList.htm#4
www.labmice.net/articles/securingwin2000.htm]

5) Download and install all the service packs and security patches from
www.microsoft.com/technet/security for all the Microsoft and non-Microsoft
software installed on your computer, especially Microsoft Windows, Office,
Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Windows Media Player and IIS [if IIS is
installed].

Note that Windows 2000, XP, .NET and NT users should also download patches
for Indexing Services a.k.a. Index Server. Do not assume that Index Server
patches are included with any IIS comprehensive service pack rollup you may
already have installed, because they are not.

[If you want a shortcut to do this faster, you could try this:
* Download and install the latest Windows service pack from
www.microsoft.com/technet/security;
* Reboot and visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com to receive additional
patches;
* Reboot, download and run MBSA [Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer] or
HFNETCHK from www.microsoft.com/download to discover other missing patches;
* Manually download from www.microsoft.com/technet/security and install any
patches that were found to be missing, as well as patches for any server
products that may not be included in Windows Update and MBSA/HFNETCHK, such
as possibly SQL Server, ISA Server, etc.
* NOTE however that Windows Update, MBSA and HFNETCHK do NOT necessarily
list all Microsoft patches or search all Microsoft products, so you could be
missing some patches if you rely just on these tools.]

6) [ONGOING] Re-run the MBSA tool from www.microsoft.com/download every 60
days or sooner to look for missing patches, and confirm that your antivirus
program received an update in the past 10 days or less.

If you want or need even more security [or are particularly paranoid or at
risk], you can consider some of the additional steps below. Some of the
tools below may be more security than you need, unless you are running a
server such as IIS web or FTP services.

* Download and install MyNetWatchman or Dshield. These are free programs
that work with your firewall software or hardware to automatically report
hacking attempts to the hacker's ISP. You get to see information about
whether that IP address has been used to scan or hack other computers, or
whether it might be targeting just your computer. You also get to see
whether the ISP has responded or taken action against the offending user.
This is highly recommended. You can get this software at one of the links
below:

www.mynetwatchman.com
www.dshield.org

* Sign up for the Microsoft security mailing list at
www.microsoft.com/technet/security to receive emails with a link to new
critical security patches as they are released, and install them ASAP.

* Use Vision [or Fport] from www.foundstone.com/knowledge or Active Ports
from www.webattack.com/get/activeports.shtml or pslist / pstools from
www.sysinternals.com to look at the open ports on your computer and the
program or executable using that port. Some firewall software such as
www.sygate.com will also tell you this information.

You can also use the NETSTAT -A command that comes with Windows to look at
open ports; however, this will not identify which program is using the port.

[You may want to run a command such as FPORT >> C:\OPENPORTS.TXT or
PSLIST >> C:\OPENPORTS.TXT or NETSTAT -A >> C:\OPENPORTS.TXT
This command will create a "baseline" text file named c:\openports.txt that
can be compared later with the results of the command to tell you whether
additional ports are now open, a possible sign of intrusion.]

* Consider running one or more vulnerability scanners to look for security
flaws and configuration errors on your computers. Vulnerability scanners
should be run after you have installed and hardened a new computer or
server, and also run at regular intervals to confirm that your computers are
still secure. You might also run a port scanner against your computers as
well to look for open ports.

See the section in this FAQ entitled "How can I scan my computer or firewall
to look for open ports or confirm that my machine is secure?" for more
information.

* Consider searching for and following additional checklists for hardening
Windows 2000 by searching an Internet search engine such as www.google.com
for words such as "harden OR hardening windows-2000" [e.g.
www.google.com/search?q=harden+OR+hardening+windows-2000 ]. Several such
checklists are available at:

http://nsa1.www.conxion.com/win2k/download.htm a.k.a. http://www.nsa.gov
www.labmice.net/articles/securingwin2000.htm
www.labmice.net/security
http://csrc.nist.gov/itsec/guidance_W2Kpro.html
http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-44/sp800-44.pdf
http://rr.sans.org

* Uninstall any unnecessary Windows components [e.g. click on Start,
Settings, Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, Add/Remove Windows
Components]. Pay particular attention to Indexing Service, Internet
Information Services (IIS), Management and Monitoring Tools, Message Queuing
Services, Networking Services, Other Networking File and Print Services,
Outlook Express, and Windows Media Player. If you are not sure whether
something is unnecessary, try searching www.google.com or posting a question
to the appropriate Microsoft security newsgroup.

* Disable any unnecessary Windows services [e.g. click on Start, Settings,
Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services]. If you are not sure whether
something is unnecessary, try searching www.google.com or posting a question
to the appropriate Microsoft security newsgroup.

* Consider using a Trojan scanner. Antivirus programs generally detect some
but not all of the most common Trojans and hacker tools. Some people choose
to use a Trojan scanner in addition to antivirus.

For more information on where and how to locate and use free and not-free
Trojan scanner software, see the section in this FAQ entitled "Which
antivirus should I choose? Which antivirus is the best?"

* Enable logging. Most logging is disabled by default, and usually this is
not discovered until after an intrusion, when the logs are needed.

Enable logging of your IIS web server, FTP server, etc. For sites with a
small number of hits, consider changing logs to rotate monthly instead of
daily to allow easier searching of logs.

Enable logging on your Internet router, switch or firewall. [Because these
devices usually do not have much storage space for saving logs, doing this
may involve installing free syslog software onto your computer to be able to
capture the logs.]

Enable auditing of security events on your Windows system, including logon
successes and/or failures and NTFS auditing of files and registry keys. For
more information, see the section in this FAQ entitled "How can I enable
auditing / logging on my computer / server?"

Change the Windows event log settings to be appropriate for your
environment. Consider increasing the maximum log size to retain more
information. Be careful not to log too much, or you might find that your
logs contain only a few minutes or hours worth of data.

Check the logs to be sure logs are really being captured.

* Consider using a file change checker, such as the unsupported free tool
Languard File Integrity Checker at www.gfi.com/languard/lantools-fic.htm
Files changing on your system can sometimes indicate a hacker intrusion.

* Consider using a Windows event log monitor. Some types of intrusions
leave entries in one of the logs on your computer. [On an especially
vulnerable or secure system, you should be sure that you've configured
logging to detect events such as intrusions.] Some network monitors such as
www.ipsentry.com can send a message to your email/screen/pager if a server
or service stops responding, an event or error appears in a Windows log,
etc. Windows log monitors can be found by searching an Internet search
engine or your favorite software web site, or by using the links below:

www.ipsentry.com [around $100 US]
www.sunbelt-software.com
www.webattack.com
www.wilders.org
www.download.com
www.tucows.com
www.google.com/search?q=windows+event+log-monitor

* Consider using EFS file encryption [under Windows 2000 / XP / .NET] or
third-party utilities to encrypt the files on your computer may be something
to consider. Some of these utilities can encrypt your entire hard drive
including Windows, whereas other tools just encrypt some of your data files
and are not suitable for encrypting or preventing access to Windows.

Note that using any form of encryption can slow down your computer's
performance. Also, you must be extremely careful to back up and protect
your encryption key and any passwords. If the encryption keys are not
backed up, users can lose their encrypted files forever when Windows is
reinstalled, Windows encounters a problem so that Windows no longer starts
up, etc.

For more information on EFS file encryption on Windows 2000 / XP / .NET, see
the section in this FAQ entitled "I used Windows 2000 / XP EFS file
encryption to encrypt some files. Now, I can't read the files. How can I
unencrypt them or recover the key?"

Third party encryption software can be found at the following locations:

www.pgp.com
www.scramdisk.clara.net
www.e4m.net
www.jetico.com ["BestCrypt"]
www.download.com
www.tucows.com
www.google.com

________________________________________________________

Which firewall should I choose? Which firewall is the best?

(6.2) What are some ways for me to enable Intrusion Detection or IDS?

(6.3) How can I enable or configure the Windows XP ICF Internet Connection
Firewall?

(6.4) How can I enable or configure TCP/IP Filters or IPsec policies to
protect my computer, filter, block, encrypt or tunnel traffic?

A: The answer to this question varies depending on your computer systems,
your security requirements and your personal preferences. Below are some
firewalls and other forms of firewall-like packet filtering:

NO MATTER WHICH FIREWALL YOU CHOOSE...
No matter which firewall you choose, you should seriously consider
downloading and installing MyNetWatchman or Dshield. These are free
programs that work with your firewall software or hardware to automatically
report hacking attempts to the hacker's ISP. You get to see information
about whether that IP address has been used to scan or hack other computers,
or whether it might be targeting just your computer. You also get to see
whether the ISP has responded or taken action against the offending user.
You can get this software at one of the links below:

www.mynetwatchman.com
www.dshield.org

Also, no matter which firewall you choose, the lists below of port numbers
for common software services may be helpful when configuring your firewall
or when trying to monitor the firewall logs for signs of intrusion:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q289241 [common
ports on Windows 2000]
http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers
http://www.iisfaq.com/default.asp?View=P106

FIREWALL SOFTWARE:
www.sygate.com [free for non-commercial use, also works like a sniffer]
www.kerio.com [free for non-commercial use]
www.agnitum.com [free for non-commercial use]
www.zonealarm.com [free for non-commercial use, also blocks pop-ups]
www.iss.net [Black Ice]
www.symantec.com [Norton]
www.webattack.com
www.download.com
www.tucows.com
[Windows XP users can also consider using the ICF firewall that comes with
XP, more info below]

FIREWALL DEVICES [HOME / SOHO]:
www.linksys.com [starts around $70 US]
www.netgear.com [starts around $70 US]
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?query=firewall [prices on new and
used firewalls]

FIREWALL DEVICES [PROFESSIONAL / ENTERPRISE]:
www.netscreen.com
www.netgear.com
www.intrusion.com
www.cisco.com
www.nortelnetworks.com/products/family/contivity.html
www.nokia.com/securitysolutions
www.microsoft.com/isa
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?query=firewall [prices on new and
used firewalls]

LINUX / BSD FIREWALLS:
http://www.ipcop.org [install to hard drive, friendly GUI]
http://www.smoothwall.org [install to hard drive, friendly GUI]
http://www.devil-linux.org [boot CD firewall]
http://gibraltar.at [boot CD firewall]
http://www.sentryfirewall.com [boot CD firewall]
http://www.thinman.com/eLSD [boot CD firewall]
http://www.closedbsd.org [boot floppy firewall]
http://thewall.sf.net [boot floppy firewall]

INTRUSION DETECTION:
http://www.snort.org [free, has a version for Windows]
http://www.trinux.org [free, runs from a boot floppy disk or CD]
http://www.iss.net

Linux / BSD firewalls can be run on an old spare 486 PC to protect your
network, and the software is often free of charge. Some of the firewalls
above are supposedly intended to be easy enough for small offices and home
users with no previous Linux experience to use. Linux firewalls are one
inexpensive way to be able to add advanced firewall features that may be
very expensive to add to commercial firewalls. [Features such as bandwidth
usage reporting, QoS bandwidth limiting, intrusion detection, alerts in
real-time to your email or pager, a third network interface to create a DMZ,
identical spare backup firewalls for fault tolerance and scalability, etc.
are generally free.] Unlike some commercial firewalls, 24x7 on-site
technical support for Linux / BSD firewalls can be purchased from a number
of companies in most cities.

Intrusion detection is software or hardware that generally monitors the data
transmissions on your network in order to add better alerting, analysis and
detection of intrusions [without necessarily blocking those intrusions].
Note that with most IDS systems, you must tune the default rules and
settings, or else you will receive too many false alarms.

Linux firewalls and intrusion detection are not likely to be the best way to
protect just one home computer or laptop [unless you are an expert computer
user or computer hobbyist]. These tools are probably more useful to network
administrators.

ICF - WINDOWS XP INTERNET CONNECTION FIREWALL -
If you are using a Windows XP computer at home and do not log into a Windows
domain, you can enable the free ICF - Internet Connection Firewall - that
comes with Windows XP. The ICF firewall is generally well respected and
secure for home users.

You can enable or configure ICF either by clicking on Start, Settings,
Control Panel, double-click Networking and Internet Connections, click
Network Connections, right-click the connection on which you would like to
enable ICF, and then click Properties, Advanced and select "Protect my
computer or network."

See the articles below for more information:

How to enable or disable ICF -
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q283673
More information on ICF and how to configure ICF -
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q320855
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q298804
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q308127

=============

How can I tell if I've been hacked?

A: This can be a complicated procedure and usually requires both prior
experience with forensic investigations and knowledge of what the computer
looked like [which files existed, which ports were open, etc.] or what a
similar computer looks like before being compromised.

Also, the procedures you follow may vary depending on your security needs.
For example, performing some of the procedures below may modify the files on
your computer so that it is not admissible as evidence in court. Other
procedures below could alert a hacker to the fact that you are looking for
her, causing her to delete evidence or retaliate against you in some way.

If this is a business computer, your company should seriously consider
hiring a security consultant or contacting the appropriate local law
enforcement agency, both for the initial forensic response and also to
improve your security to avoid future intrusions.

Keep in mind during the investigation that this might NOT be a hacker
intrusion and might instead be regular network activity or a worm. Books
such as Incident Response, Hacker's Challenge and/or Hacking Exposed 3rd
Edition may offer you more information on how to investigate intrusions.

You may consider performing the actions below:

1) Unplugging the network cable is one possible way to try to prevent
further damage.

2) Use Vision [or Fport] from www.foundstone.com/knowledge or Active Ports
from www.webattack.com/get/activeports.shtml or pslist / pstools from
www.sysinternals.com to look at the open ports on your computer and the
program or executable using that port. Some firewall software such as
www.sygate.com will also tell you this information.

You can also use the NETSTAT -A command that comes with Windows to look at
open ports; however, this will not identify which program is using the port.

If you're unsure about the purpose of a particular port or program, try
searching an Internet search engine such as www.google.com for the name of
the port or program, or try right-clicking on the file in question to see
the properties. Or, you could even try to telnet to that port e.g. by
typing TELNET LOCALHOST PORTNUMBER or TELNET COMPUTERNAME PORTNUMBER
[example, TELNET LOCALHOST 82 ] and press the Enter key a few times to see
if any informative messages appear.

3) Consider using a file change checker, such as the unsupported free tool
Languard File Integrity Checker at www.gfi.com/languard/lantools-fic.htm.
Recently changed files on your system can sometimes indicate an intrusion.
You could also find and list the files on your hard drives that have been
modified in the past 3 days by clicking on Start, Search [or Find], Files or
Folders, and setting the appropriate date [though note that this may change
the "Last Accessed" date stamp on some of these files]. "The Forensic
Toolkit" from www.foundstone.com/knowledge includes command-line tools to
list files without modifying the date.

4) Inspect the programs that launch when Windows starts on your computer,
by using MSCONFIG or Startup Cop. Suspicious programs starting when Windows
starts can indicate a successful intrusion. [These can also indicate less
serious events such as a virus or worm infection or even the installation of
a freeware or ad-ware program such as an MP3 music file-sharing program.]
See the section in this FAQ entitled "I think there may be a suspicious
program, Trojan, ad-ware, "porn dialer," etc. starting up on my computer
when Windows starts" for more information on how to do this.

5) Check the logs on your computer, especially your Internet router or
firewall logs, the IIS web and ftp server logs and Windows security event
log. [This is probably the first thing to do if IIS web services are
running on the computer.] Some of these logs may not exist if you have not
already enabled them.

Many common hacks are first seen in the IIS web server logs. Any line in
your web server log that contains % or .EXE and which also contains a 200
or 502 error code is cause for further investigation. If you are familiar
with DOS commands, you may be able to see exactly what commands the intruder
tried to execute. Keep in mind that every web server on the Internet will
have suspicious looking entries from worms like Nimda, though these are not
necessarily signs of a successful intrusion.

For more information on deciphering web server logs, see the section in this
FAQ entitled "I keep seeing strange things in my IIS web server logs, like
'NNNNNNNNN' or 'GET /scripts/root.exe' Have I been hacked?"

6) Consider using a Trojan scanner. Antivirus programs generally detect
some but not all of the most common Trojans and hacker tools. Some people
choose to use a Trojan scanner in addition to antivirus.

For more information on where and how to locate and use free and not-free
Trojan scanner software, see the section in this FAQ entitled "Which
antivirus should I choose? Which antivirus is the best?"

7) Consider installing an antivirus program that is configured to
automatically download updates daily.

For more information on where and how to locate and use free and not-free
antivirus software, see the section in this FAQ entitled "Which antivirus
should I choose? Which antivirus is the best?"

8) Consider running a port scanner [and/or a vulnerability scanner] to look
for security flaws and configuration errors on your computers. For example,
you might also run a port scanner against your computers to look for open
ports. A particular open port might indicate the way a hack occurred and/or
might give you a way to identify other infected computers. Begin with
Vision, Fport and/or SuperScan from www.foundstone.com/knowledge, MBSA from
www.microsoft.com/download and/or Languard Network Scanner from www.gfi.com

See the section in this FAQ entitled "How can I scan my computer or firewall
to look for open ports or confirm that my machine is secure?" for more
information.

9) Consider enabling or installing a firewall and/or a sniffer [either
software or hardware based] to monitor and look for unusual network traffic.
There are a number of free firewalls available on the Internet which can
show network transmissions to and from your computer, such as
www.sygate.com, or you could use the Network Monitor which comes with
Windows 2000 / XP / NT / .NET, or Ethereal at www.ethereal.com, or Windump
at http://windump.polito.it

For more information on how and where to locate free and not-free firewall
software and hardware, see the section in this FAQ entitled "Which firewall
should I choose? Which firewall is the best?"

10) The third party web sites and tools below may also be helpful:

www.sysinternals.com

For example, some of the helpful free tools on this site include Filemon,
Regmon and Process Explorer which all display activity on your computer you
might not otherwise be able to see. These tools show which files, registry
keys, .DLLs and other objects are currently being accessed and by which
process.

Pstools is a group of tools including pslist, which lists detailed
information about processes, and psloggedon, which displays who is logged
onto your computer currently.

www.foundstone.com/knowledge

In addition to the Vision / Fport tools, one of the free tools on this site
is NTLast, a security event log analysis tool that helps identify who has
gained access to the system, using the NT security event logs [assuming
auditing has previously been turned on].

Also, the Forensic Toolkit is a collection of tools including:
* Afind, which lists recently accessed files without changing the date stamp
on the file;
* Hfind, which scans the disk for hidden files;
* Sfind, which scans the disk for files hidden in data streams.

www.incident-response.org/IRCR.htm

Incident Response Collection Report (IRCR) is a collection of forensic tools
that automates many of the tasks a forensics expert might perform.

If you have trouble understanding the results of any of these tools, you can
post your results along with your question to an appropriate Usenet
newsgroup. Note that the Microsoft newsgroups may not be the place to get
the best answers to your questions, though you can try and see what happens.

[Thanks to Susan Bradley, Rob Lee and others]

________________________________________________________

(7.2) How can I re-secure my computer or server after being hacked?

A: If your computer or server has been compromised, it is highly
recommended that you follow this procedure to secure your computer:

1) Hire someone with security experience to investigate your computer and
confirm that it has been hacked, learn how it was hacked, collect evidence,
confirm that your other computers have not been hacked, etc.;
2) Back up your data files;
3) Format the hard drives;
4) Reinstall Windows and all other software onto the computer;
5) Do not put the computer back on the network or the Internet until the
previous steps are completed [since un-secured computers on the Internet can
be hacked within 15 minutes].
6) Follow the further instructions for securing your computer by reading
the section in this FAQ entitled "How can I harden my computer or server to
secure it from hackers?"

This procedure [formatting and reinstalling] is recommended because it is
difficult to be certain that you have found and removed all changes the
intruder made to your computer. If the hacker added a login ID, changed a
password, installed remote control software, etc. onto your computer, the
hacker or other hackers could easily get back into your computer.

If you wish, you can take the chance and just try your best to remove
everything you can find, but then you may still be at risk. Instructions
for how to manually re-secure your system without formatting and
reinstalling everything can be complex and are beyond the scope of this FAQ.
However, some general tips are given in the section in this FAQ entitled
"How can I tell if I've been hacked?"

BEFORE you format and reinstall Windows, it may be a good idea to have
someone investigate the computer to look for clues as to how the computer
was compromised and by whom. This information can help you to:

1) Confirm that you really were hacked, possibly saving you from needlessly
formatting and reinstalling Windows on your computer;
2) Find other machines on your network that were also hacked;
3) Learn what mistakes were made that allowed the computer to be
compromised and avoid making those mistakes in the future.

Instructions for how to determine whether or not you've been hacked are
complex and are beyond the scope of this FAQ. However, some general tips
are given in the section in this FAQ entitled "How can I tell if I've been
hacked?"

Note that unless you are already experienced in forensics, any actions you
take on your computer will probably reduce your ability to use your computer
as evidence in a court of law, and could provoke the hacker into retaliating
against you in some way. [On the other hand, your chances of being able to
find and prosecute the hacker are slim, unless you are a business, or a
government entity, or can prove substantial financial loss as a result of
the hacking. If you fall into one of these categories, you should contact a
local law enforcement agency, such as the local FBI office in your city if
you are in the U.S.]

________________________________________________________

Which port scanner or vulnerability should I use? Which scanner is the
best?

(8.3) How can I scan my computer or firewall to look for 'open ports' or
confirm that my machine is secure?"

A: Computers on the Internet use IP addresses and port numbers while
exchanging communications to make sure the communications get to the right
software program on the right computer. Just as a single cable carries
multiple distinct cable TV channels using different channel numbers [channel
2, channel 3, etc.] to your TV at the same time, the Internet carries
multiple different messages to and from your computer using different port
numbers [TCP port 80, UDP port 53, etc] to distinguish one message from
another and also to distinguish which software on your computer should
receive the message.

An "open port" on your computer generally means that a piece of software on
your computer is "listening" and accepting messages from other computers.
If that software on your computer has a vulnerability or is missing a
security patch, someone could use that open port and the vulnerability
within it to control of your computer.

There are a number of web sites that help you do a port scan to look for
some common open ports on your computer. Some of these sites include:

http://scan.sygatetech.com - longer, more thorough
https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 - brief, scans just key ports
http://www.blackcode.com/scan
http://security2.norton.com
http://www.auditmypc.com
http://www.sdesign.com/securitytest
http://www.doshelp.com/dostest.htm

Note that few or none of the scans above scan every single possible port on
your machine. There are 65,535 possible TCP ports and 65,535 possible UDP
ports on your machine. FYI, most of the scans above do simple port scans
looking for open ports on your computer, which is probably good enough for
security purposes, but is not exactly the same type of scan a hacker may
use.

If your machine is on a network and you wish to have more control over the
scan, you may want to download port-scanning software such as Nmap from
www.eeye.com, SuperScan from www.foundstone.com/knowledge, etc.

VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT SCANNERS
Besides simple port scanners, you may also want to run a vulnerability
assessment scan against your computer, especially if you are in a corporate
environment. Some limited vulnerability assessment scanners that run on
Windows are listed below. [If you have a computer running operating systems
other than Windows, you may be able to find additional vulnerability
scanners to audit your Windows computers.]

[Free]
www.microsoft.com/download - MBSA Microsoft Baseline Security Advisor
[MBSA finds critical missing patches and vulnerabilities for some common
Microsoft products]
www.microsoft.com/download - HFNETCHK
www.gfi.com - Languard Network Security Scanner
www.nextgenss.com - CIS Cerberus Internet Scanner
www.trinux.org - free, runs Linux, nmap, etc. from a single boot floppy
disk or CD
http://community.whitehatsec.com/index.pl?section=wharsenal - White Hat
Arsenal for IIS web server applications
http://sourceforge.net/projects/whisker - Whisker, Perl-based web server
assessment
http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/drafts/security-testing.pdf

[Not Free]
Commercial vulnerability assessment scanners may be found by searching an
Internet search engine such as www.google.com

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