[116786] in Cypherpunks
Windows 95/98 Hardening Project
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (whitecap@hushmail.com)
Fri Aug 20 18:17:32 1999
From: whitecap@hushmail.com
Message-Id: <199908202149.OAA27263@mail1.hushmail.com>
Date: Fri Aug 20 14:26:13 PDT 1999
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Reply-To: whitecap@hushmail.com
I have been thining about creating a Windows 95/98 hardening system based on SHA-1 hashes. A breakdown of how the system would work is as follows:
1. User creates a Win 95/98 Boot Floppy from a known clean machine. (i.e. FORMAT A: /F1.44 /U /S)
2. User downloads "WINCRETE" from Website via 128-bit SSL.
3. User installs "WINCRETE" to hard drive on a known clean machine.
4. User runs "WINCRETE" and selects "Prepare Boot Floppy" option.
5. "WINCRETE" copies file "WINCRETE.EXE" to Boot Floppy.
6. "WINCRETE" copies CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files from hard drive to Boot Floppy.
7. "WINCRETE" parses CONFIG.SYS and copies all necesary drivers to Boot Floppy.
8. "WINCRETE" modifies AUTOEXEC.BAT on Boot Floppy to run "WINCRETE.EXE" before all other AUTOEXEC.BAT commands.
9. "WINCRETE" modifies AUTOEXEC.BAT on hard drive to notify user that Boot Floppy was not used. (This would be of minimal use, as Bad Guy could remove this reminder easily. Would help foster security hygiene on user though.)
10. "WINCRETE" creates hashes of important system files (i.e. Windows 95/98 DLLs that handle keyboard input, etc.) and places said hashes on Boot Floppy in file "WINCRETE.HSH".
11. User right protects Boot Floppy and guards with life. Whenever system is rebooting, user uses the secure Boot Floppy.
Some concerns:
Avoiding hard drive partition sector virus that loads before Boot Floppy system files (ala Michaelangelo)
Creating Self-Verifying Boot Floppy (Probably Irrelevant)
Service Packs and other system updates will cause hashes to be wrong. User will probably download these service packs over web without using SSL, leaving opportunity for a nifty MITM attack as demonstrated by Goldberg and Wagner with Netscape. May implement a background program (ala ViruScan) to prevent or notify user of DLL updates.
If I see enough demand for this product, I may create it for commercial purposes or for free. Either way, it will be open source. I estimate total effort to be 80 hours.
whitecap@hushmail.com
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