Bug 1044462 - mysteriose dovecot processname before/while a crash
Summary: mysteriose dovecot processname before/while a crash
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED WONTFIX
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: dovecot
Version: 18
Hardware: i686
OS: Linux
unspecified
unspecified
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Michal Hlavinka
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2013-12-18 11:02 UTC by customercare
Modified: 2014-02-05 22:36 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Doc Type: Bug Fix
Doc Text:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 2014-02-05 22:36:36 UTC
Type: Bug


Attachments (Terms of Use)

Description customercare 2013-12-18 11:02:56 UTC
Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):

dovecot-2.1.17-1.fc18.i686


Description of problem:

We have mysteriose incident with dovecot. As it seems dovecot stopped logging 3 days ago, after a bruteforce attempt to break in a mailbox ( which does not exists at all ) . It's possible that noone used it at all in the meantime.

Dec 15 15:33:46 auth-worker(530): Info: pam(test,176.61.138.67): unknown user
Dec 15 15:33:47 auth-worker(636): Info: pam(test,176.61.138.67): unknown user
Dec 15 15:33:48 pop3-login: Info: Disconnected (auth failed, 1 attempts in 18 secs): user=<test>, method=PLAIN, rip=176.61.138.67, lip=83.246.80.153
Dec 15 15:33:49 auth-worker(530): Info: sql(test,176.61.138.67): unknown user
Dec 15 15:33:49 pop3-login: Info: Aborted login (auth failed, 1 attempts in 19 secs): user=<test>, method=PLAIN, rip=176.61.138.67, lip=83.246.80.153
Dec 15 15:33:51 auth-worker(530): Info: pam(test,176.61.138.67): unknown user
Dec 15 15:33:52 auth-worker(530): Info: sql(test,176.61.138.67): unknown user
Dec 15 15:33:53 pop3-login: Info: Aborted login (auth failed, 1 attempts in 19 secs): user=<test>, method=PLAIN, rip=176.61.138.67, lip=83.246.80.153
Dec 15 15:33:54 auth-worker(530): Info: pam(test,176.61.138.67): unknown user
Dec 15 15:33:56 pop3-login: Info: Aborted login (auth failed, 1 attempts in 19 secs): user=<test>, method=PLAIN, rip=176.61.138.67, lip=83.246.80.153
Dec 18 11:04:30 log: Warning: Killed with signal 15 (by pid=1 uid=0 code=kill)
Dec 18 11:04:30 master: Warning: Killed with signal 15 (by pid=1 uid=0 code=kill) 

I just wanted to present it, as sometimes long unused services tend to do strange things on linux. After the below NIDS message, i stopped dovecot via systemd, that was the 11:04 kill entry.

Today our NIDS detected at 11:02 an uncommon process in our system :

-----------------------------------

 dovecot :  

S5925925920(1000,dovecot)

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««
------------------------------------


These double parensis arn't part of our programm, so i guess they were somewhere inside the process informations, which got used to generate the report.

You will notice a missing process 1000 in the list of pop3 connectors in the following pstree -up printout : 

...
-dovecot(592)-+-S5925925920(1000,dovecot)
-anvil(1251,dovecot)
-imap-login(1123,dovecot)
-imap-login(1124,dovecot)
-imap-login(1125,dovecot)
-imap-login(1126,dovecot)
-imap-login(1127,dovecot)
-imap-login(1128,dovecot)
-imap-login(1134,dovecot)
-imap-login(1135,dovecot)
-imap-login(1136,dovecot)
-imap-login(1137,dovecot)
-imap-login(1138,dovecot)
-imap-login(1139,dovecot)
-imap-login(1140,dovecot)
-imap-login(1143,dovecot)
-imap-login(1144,dovecot)
-imap-login(1145,dovecot)
-imap-login(1146,dovecot)
-imap-login(1147,dovecot)
-imap-login(1148,dovecot)
-imap-login(1149,dovecot)
-imap-login(1150,dovecot)
-imap-login(1151,dovecot)
-imap-login(1152,dovecot)
-imap-login(1153,dovecot)
-imap-login(1154,dovecot)
-imap-login(1155,dovecot)
-imap-login(1157,dovecot)
-imap-login(1158,dovecot)
-imap-login(1159,dovecot)
-imap-login(1160,dovecot)
-imap-login(1161,dovecot)
-imap-login(1162,dovecot)
-imap-login(1163,dovecot)
-imap-login(1164,dovecot)
-imap-login(1167,dovecot)
-imap-login(1168,dovecot)
-imap-login(1169,dovecot)
-imap-login(1174,dovecot)
-imap-login(1175,dovecot)
-imap-login(1176,dovecot)
-imap-login(1177,dovecot)
-imap-login(1194,dovecot)
-imap-login(1195,dovecot)
-imap-login(1205,dovecot)
-imap-login(1206,dovecot)
-imap-login(1207,dovecot)
-imap-login(1208,dovecot)
-imap-login(1215,dovecot)
-imap-login(1216,dovecot)
-imap-login(1217,dovecot)
-imap-login(1222,dovecot)
-imap-login(1223,dovecot)
-imap-login(1229,dovecot)
-imap-login(1230,dovecot)
-imap-login(1231,dovecot)
-imap-login(1235,dovecot)
-imap-login(1236,dovecot)
-imap-login(1244,dovecot)
-imap-login(1245,dovecot)
-imap-login(1246,dovecot)
-imap-login(1247,dovecot)
-imap-login(1248,dovecot)
-imap-login(15134,dovecot)
-imap-login(31824,dovecot)
-pop3-login(634,dovecot)
-pop3-login(635,dovecot)
-pop3-login(970,dovecot)
-pop3-login(971,dovecot)
-pop3-login(972,dovecot)
-pop3-login(973,dovecot)
-pop3-login(974,dovecot)
-pop3-login(975,dovecot)
-pop3-login(976,dovecot)
-pop3-login(977,dovecot)
-pop3-login(978,dovecot)
-pop3-login(979,dovecot)
-pop3-login(980,dovecot)
-pop3-login(981,dovecot)
-pop3-login(982,dovecot)
-pop3-login(983,dovecot)
-pop3-login(984,dovecot)
-pop3-login(985,dovecot)
-pop3-login(987,dovecot)
-pop3-login(988,dovecot)
-pop3-login(989,dovecot)
-pop3-login(990,dovecot)
-pop3-login(991,dovecot)
-pop3-login(992,dovecot)
-pop3-login(993,dovecot)
-pop3-login(994,dovecot)
-pop3-login(995,dovecot)
-pop3-login(996,dovecot)
-pop3-login(997,dovecot)
-pop3-login(998,dovecot)
-pop3-login(999,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1001,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1002,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1003,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1004,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1005,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1006,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1007,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1008,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1009,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1010,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1011,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1012,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1013,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1014,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1015,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1016,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1017,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1018,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1019,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1020,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1021,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1022,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1023,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1024,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1025,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1026,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1027,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1028,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1031,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1033,dovecot)
-pop3-login(1121,dovecot)
`-pop3-login(25811,dovecot)
...

Our NIDS tries to read the environment variables of any suspiciose process, but it could not do that for the process in question.

My guess is, the process crashed and overwrote it's processinformations in /proc/ . So we got some random informations presented. Which would be odd in itself. 

As there were no error message in the log, it "just" crashed. But only one process out of 100 did, which is a bit odd. I do not even know if someone connected to it to crash it.

If you can bring some light to it, an explanation if it's a possible breakinattempt, would be nice.

Comment 1 Fedora End Of Life 2013-12-21 14:50:03 UTC
This message is a reminder that Fedora 18 is nearing its end of life.
Approximately 4 (four) weeks from now Fedora will stop maintaining
and issuing updates for Fedora 18. It is Fedora's policy to close all
bug reports from releases that are no longer maintained. At that time
this bug will be closed as WONTFIX if it remains open with a Fedora 
'version' of '18'.

Package Maintainer: If you wish for this bug to remain open because you
plan to fix it in a currently maintained version, simply change the 'version' 
to a later Fedora version prior to Fedora 18's end of life.

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able to fix it before Fedora 18 is end of life. If you would still like 
to see this bug fixed and are able to reproduce it against a later version 
of Fedora, you are encouraged  change the 'version' to a later Fedora 
version prior to Fedora 18's end of life.

Although we aim to fix as many bugs as possible during every release's 
lifetime, sometimes those efforts are overtaken by events. Often a 
more recent Fedora release includes newer upstream software that fixes 
bugs or makes them obsolete.

Comment 2 Fedora End Of Life 2014-02-05 22:36:36 UTC
Fedora 18 changed to end-of-life (EOL) status on 2014-01-14. Fedora 18 is
no longer maintained, which means that it will not receive any further
security or bug fix updates. As a result we are closing this bug.

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