Damn Vulnerable Linux - The most vulnerable and exploitable distro (opens in new tab)

(damnvulnerablelinux.org)

178 pointsmorazyx15y ago40 comments

40 comments

Securing this beast should serve as a nice training course for any sysadmin; bonus points if you start handing out shell accounts to anonymous people in certain neighborhoods of EFNet.

pavs15y ago

Just update packages to the latest, patched version. What so difficult about it?

mahmud15y ago

If this is based on a popular distro, maybe; but if you wanted to loosen up a Linux box, you can build a freak from pieces that no one would find lineage for, much less a repo.

2 more replies

joe_the_user15y ago

I'm far from a security expert.

I have spent hundreds if not thousands of hours upgrading random packages in Linux for various reasons. Afterwards, I didn't feel any wiser in security or anything except how to build stuff (well, maybe a bit of systems stuff...).

If upgrading is main task here, what do you really learn? If upgrading isn't the main task here, what is?

ciupicri15y ago

Not update, but upgrade to another more secure distribution.

nphase15y ago

Or 4chan.

sliverstorm15y ago

> Damn Vulnerable Linux - The most vulnerable and exploitable operating system ever!

Wait, they topped Windows 95 and Windows ME?

Is that even possible?

pjscott15y ago

I love how, on those OSes, you could freeze the whole thing solid with a three-byte program:

   cli   # clears interrupts
   loop: goto loop

This ballooned to a colossal four bytes if you put it in an EXE file, of course.

mahmud15y ago

You could do it from debug.com but that one doesn't have labels, so you will need to use an explicit jmp.

  C:\hack\lisp\cl-gdata\base>debug
  -a
  13EA:0100 cli
  13EA:0101 jmp 101
  13EA:0103
  -g 0100

yesimahuman15y ago

Technically speaking, how would an OS avoid that issue, without breaking compatibility (unless that is acceptable)?

1 more reply

JoeAltmaier15y ago

Any OS on that early hardware had this problem, right?

wwortiz15y ago

That actually sounds like a fun concept.

morazyxOP15y ago

Seems a decent educational tool too.. run in a virtual box and let your students go all out overflowing buffers and seeing the concepts in action. It comes with easy-to-follow guides.

JoeAltmaier15y ago

OK for learning about what has been solved; kind of hacking-101. BUt the exploits involved have all been fixed in the products in that distro. What to use for the advanced class?

3 more replies

Spoutingshite15y ago

It looks like a honeypot on steroids!

nhnifong15y ago

Whats with all the grammatical errors on that site? Is it a joke?

known15y ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Openbsd is the most secure OS.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

40 comments

mahmud15y ago

Securing this beast should serve as a nice training course for any sysadmin; bonus points if you start handing out shell accounts to anonymous people in certain neighborhoods of EFNet.

pavs15y ago

Just update packages to the latest, patched version. What so difficult about it?

mahmud15y ago

If this is based on a popular distro, maybe; but if you wanted to loosen up a Linux box, you can build a freak from pieces that no one would find lineage for, much less a repo.

2 more replies

joe_the_user15y ago

I'm far from a security expert.

If upgrading is main task here, what do you really learn? If upgrading isn't the main task here, what is?

ciupicri15y ago

Not update, but upgrade to another more secure distribution.

nphase15y ago

Or 4chan.

sliverstorm15y ago

> Damn Vulnerable Linux - The most vulnerable and exploitable operating system ever!

Wait, they topped Windows 95 and Windows ME?

Is that even possible?

pjscott15y ago

I love how, on those OSes, you could freeze the whole thing solid with a three-byte program:

   cli   # clears interrupts
   loop: goto loop

This ballooned to a colossal four bytes if you put it in an EXE file, of course.

mahmud15y ago

You could do it from debug.com but that one doesn't have labels, so you will need to use an explicit jmp.

  C:\hack\lisp\cl-gdata\base>debug
  -a
  13EA:0100 cli
  13EA:0101 jmp 101
  13EA:0103
  -g 0100

yesimahuman15y ago

Technically speaking, how would an OS avoid that issue, without breaking compatibility (unless that is acceptable)?

1 more reply

JoeAltmaier15y ago

Any OS on that early hardware had this problem, right?

wwortiz15y ago

That actually sounds like a fun concept.

morazyxOP15y ago

Seems a decent educational tool too.. run in a virtual box and let your students go all out overflowing buffers and seeing the concepts in action. It comes with easy-to-follow guides.

JoeAltmaier15y ago

OK for learning about what has been solved; kind of hacking-101. BUt the exploits involved have all been fixed in the products in that distro. What to use for the advanced class?

3 more replies

Spoutingshite15y ago

It looks like a honeypot on steroids!

nhnifong15y ago

Whats with all the grammatical errors on that site? Is it a joke?

known15y ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Openbsd is the most secure OS.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse