GEN:SID | 1:1790 |
Message | CHAT IRC dns response |
Summary | This event is generated when activity relating to network chat clients is detected.
|
Impact | Policy Violation. Use of chat clients to communicate with unkown external sources may be against the policy of many organizations.
|
Detailed Information | Instant Messaging (IM) and other chat related client software can allow users to transfer files directly between hosts. This can allow malicious users to circumvent the protection offered by a network firewall.
Vulnerabilities in these clients may also allow remote attackers to gain unauthorized access to a host.
|
Affected Systems | |
Attack Scenarios | A user may transfer sensitive company information to an external party using the file transfer capabilities of an IM client.
An attacker might utilize a vulnerability in an IM client to gain access to a host, then upload a Trojan Horse program to gain control of that host.
|
Ease of Attack | Simple.
|
Corrective Action | Disallow the use of IM clients on the protected network and enforce or implement an organization wide policy on the use of IM clients.
|
Additional References | IRC Protocol http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/rfc/
|