Re: question about a content string

["Joel Esler (jesler)" <jesler () cisco com>]

Scott,

I answered this question yesterday, did you get my answer?

--
Joel Esler
Manager, Threat Intelligence Team & Open Source
Talos Group
http://www.talosintelligence.com <http://www.talosintelligence.com/>

> On Jul 29, 2016, at 10:53 AM, Scott Ellis <scorellis () gmail com> wrote:
>
> I have run across the following content string in a rule that seems to be fp:
> |5C|x41|5C|x41|5C|x41|5C|x41
>
> Here is the entire rule:
>
> alert tcp $EXTERNAL_NET $HTTP_PORTS -> $HOME_NET any (msg:"ET SHELLCODE Hex Obfuscated JavaScript Heap Spray 
> 41414141"; flow:established,to_client; content:"|5C|x41|5C|x41|5C|x41|5C|x41"; nocase; fast_pattern:only; 
> reference:url,www.darkreading.com/security/vulnerabilities/221901428/index.html 
> <http://www.darkreading.com/security/vulnerabilities/221901428/index.html>; classtype:shellcode-detect; sid:2013273; 
> rev:1;)
>
> Searching a decompressed packet capture (which are gzip http) returns neither a string of hexidecimal :
> 5C 41 5C 41 ...
>
> nor a 41 41 41 41 (as the rule msg suggests)
> nor a \41\41\41
>
> there are, however, at least 9 hexidecimal 41s within a 900 byte segment.
>
> According to the snort manual, "The binary data is _generally_ enclosed within the pipe (4#4) character and 
> represented as bytecode"
>
> What is meant by "generally"?  The most likely explanation of the x is that it's trying to say that it's hex, but the 
> documentation  <http://manual-snort-org.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/node32.html#SECTION00451000000000000000>is 
> unclear.
>
> So, at the end, here are my three questions:
> 1. does the "x" stand for hex?
> 2. is the "fast_pattern:only" keyword causing this thing to be way more sensitive than it should be to the presence 
> of 41s?
> 3. What is the solution to this (multiple choice): A) is there already a rule for this threat in the GPL, B) should 
> this rule be rewritten (if so, how), or C) Is this an irrelevant rule that should just be disabled?
>
> thanks.
> S.
>
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