Sergey Gordeychik discussed how to hack telecommunication companies while avoiding illegal activity. He explained that telecom networks have many perimeters, partners, contractors, and technology that could be vulnerable. Specific risks included attacks against subscribers by guessing passwords, malware, or fraud. Pentesters should thoroughly examine the network for any overlooked systems or misconfigurations while respecting all laws and client approvals. Forensics after an incident would also be very challenging in large telecom networks with many access points.

1. How to Hack
a Telecommunication Company
And Stay Alive
Sergey Gordeychik
Positive Technologies
CTO

2. Ic Beo
Sergey Gordeychik, Positive Technologies, CTO
A “script writer” and a “director” of the Positive
Hack Days forum
Science editor of the SecurityLab.Ru portal
Author of the Web Application Security course,
and a book titled A Wireless Network Security and
a namesake course
A participant of WASC, RISSPA
http://sgordey.blogspot.com

3. What Is It All About?
What is so peculiar about telecoms?
Attacks against subscribers/Attacks by
subscribers
Perimeter… Just a perimeter
Partners and contractors
Technology networks

4. What‟s So
Peculiar?

5. Specific Features of Telecommunication Companies
Large, large networks
Unification of various services (broadband access,
Wi-Fi, hosting, mobile communication)
Great number of applications and systems on the
perimeter
Exotics inside and outside
Lots of perimeters
Most networks belong to third parties
Forensics nightmare

6. How many perimeters
do telecoms have?
Internet
Subscribers
Partners
Office
Technology
network

7. …and a bit more…
Mobile
communications Broadband Technological
access network
Wired broadband access
Wireless broadband access
VOIP
Hosting Internet TV Hosting
...

8. …and a bit more…
Vladivostok Moscow
Roma Phnom Penh

9. Attack AGAINST
Subscribers

10. Why Subscribers?
Subscribers‟ $ = telecoms‟ $
DOS = - $$ - reputation - $$
PWN (100 000 PC) = Botnet
Personal data!

11. Broadband Access
Huge non-segmented networks
Great number of end devices:
• Various SOHO devices
• Installed and unattended
• Standard bugs configurations
A manual on insecurity of network appliances
 SNMP/Telnet/HTTP/UPnP control protocols in the Internet
 Insecure/empty passwords
 Web attacks on Client‟s side (Pinning, CSRF)
Huge number of users
• 1 out of1000, for 10 000 000 = 10 000
• Trivial passwords

12. Broadband Access. Attack
Collecting information
• Network scanning
• Access layer error (BRAS)
• Collecting information from internal forums and
other resources
• Self-service platform errors
Invalid login or password
vs
Invalid username
Preparing scenarios
• Capturing devices
• Guessing passwords
$profit$

13. Well…yes, it happens

14. Pick a Task…

15. Examples of Risks
Gaining access to a self-service portal
• Cashout
 guessing password or stealing the router cfg files
(vpn/pppoe)
 transferring money from a broadband access to a cell phone
(integration!)
 Cashing out via PRS
• It drives me NUTS!!!
 Guessing password or stealing the router cfg files (vpn/ppoe)
 Purchasing the available
 Balance =0
Performing a mass hacking of a router/PC
Performing a mass changing of
configurations

16. Attacks against Clients of Mobile Networks
Faking Caller ID
•self-service portal/USSD
•voice mailbox
•cash-out via PRS
•direct money withdrawal
Internet SS7 Taget
GSM
SIP-GW Tech
FAKE ID Systems
unauthorized access

17. Attacks against Clients of Mobile Networks
Malware for mobile devices;
Intercepting GSM –
Not a ROCKET SCIENCE!
• attacking A5/1
• MITM, switch to A5/0
• downgrading UMTS -> GSM
Traffic, SMS, one-time passwords...
• Self-service portals/USSD
• Cash-out via PRS
• Voice mailbox

18. Hosting
Local network for collocated/dedicated
servers
• Attacks of a network/data link layer, attacks
against network infrastructure
• ARP Spoofing, IP Spoofing… old school
• Intrasegment IPv6 attacks
Attack against infrastructure (DNS…)
Shared hosting (once having intruded into
one of the sites…)

19. Pentester Tips & Tricks
|| ||

20. Pentester Tips & Tricks
We are only searching for vulnerabilities
We use only our own resources for demonstration
We avoid information protected by the law
A fickle client…
C: Prove it! Enter the portal!
P: No, thank you. Here is a password – enter it
yourself…

21. Attacks BY
Subscribers

22. Why Subscribers? AGAIN?
Subscribers are WITHIN one of the
perimeters
Many attacks are easier if performed
on subscriber‟s side
The number of subscribers of modern
telecoms is quite large

23. General Problems
Network access control weakness
Intrasegment attacks
Protection of the end equipment
Web applications for subscribers

24. Network Access Control Errors
A direct way does not
always mean the most
interesting one :)
C:>tracert -d www.ru
Tracing route to www.ru [194.87.0.50] over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 * * * Request timed out.
3 10 ms 13 ms 5 ms 192.168.5.4
4 7 ms 6 ms 5 ms 192.168.4.6

25. Per Aspera Ad…level 15
#sh run
Using 10994 out of 155640 bytes
!
version 12.3
...
!
username test1 password 7 <removed>
username antipov password 7 <removed>
username gordey password 7 <removed>
username anisimov password 7 <removed>
username petkov password 7 <removed>
username mitnik password 7 <removed>
username jeremiah password 7 <removed>

26. Network Access Control Errors
GPRS/EDGE/3G, which traditionally stick to
NAT
Other clients are “invisible”
This is not always true…
GPRS: payment kiosks, ATMs, and etc., which
can have:
• A missing firewall;
• Missing updates;
• misconfigurations.

27. A Joke
SNMP „private‟ on a GGSN

28. A Joke
Captive portal
“Your balance is low”
•Linux
•Apache
•MySQL
•PHP

29. Intrasegment Attacks
Subscribers of broadcast access and hosting

30. Web Portals and Services for Subscribers
A good few of resources
• forums, dating sites, video convertors, online
games, statistics, online shopping, photo
hosting, file hosting, online radio…
A good few of loopholes
• Old versions of applications and CMS, SQLi, LFI
and so on…
Single-Sign-On or the same passwords…
Are often placed into the DMZ together
with “ordinary” servers

31. Web Portals and Servers for Subscribers
Games server*
Proxima CMS, path traversal
+ SQLi + configuration error= root
About 20 more sites on the host
• Online broadcasting
• Branded desktop applications
•…

32. Pentester Tips & Tricks
Resources on the subscriber networks are often
SUBSCRIBER‟s resources
Getting approvals for every step of your work
Many systems operate on a wing and a prayer
They collapse all the time, but if you are online
anyway…
Avoiding (!) information protected by the law
A fickle client…

33. Perimeter…
Just a Perimeter

34. Perimeter?
Large, large networks!
•Use clouds
Great number of “third-party” resources
Get ready for rarities
Corporate web applications
The Lord of The Net

35. Great Number of Third-Party Resources
Quite a large number of perimeter hosts
belong to partners/subscribers
Quite often these hosts are “mixed” with
those of the client
Yet, they should not be disregarded
• Imagine that you are already a level
15/root/admin on the host and you just
entered the segment

36. Great Number of Third-Party Resources
SQLi on the mobile content portal (Oracle, sys)
private at the VoIP gateway
Maintained by partners
No hacking 
Are actually located at a flat DMZ together with
client‟s servers
Enabling the billing Front-End

37. Rarities
So many different things can be found on the
perimeter
• Technology “hardware”
• VoIP
• Old-school firewalls
• Web cameras
•Unusual control systems: ELOM,
conditioners (!), UPS (!), etc.
Keep in mind the momentous attacks (X-mas
scan, UNIX RPC, Finger, and etc.)
Don‟t underrate the rarities

38. Rarities
nc –P 20 xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 8080
Wireless Access Point
• Insecure password for web
• Enabling Telnet
• Compiling tcpdump/nc and others for the platform
• Using them for traffic/tunnel interception
Web camera
• LFI via a web interface
• Obtaining configuration files
• Gaining an access password for the control system
• Gaining access to the control system

39. Journey to Gattaca

40. Watching the Video

41. Cobweb
Lots of Web. For real.
Enterprise web applications are often
accessible
• Terminal services (Citrix)
• Email systems
• Helpdesk systems
• Ill-equipped for operating on the
“wild web”

42. Support system
We found and applied Path Traversal
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
Gained the “encrypted” password for
integration with AD
The password fitted for VPN
The password fitted for AD (Enterprise
Admin)
The password fitted for Cisco ACS
So we finally got lucky!

43. VPN
Lots of VPN, good and not so good
Passwords, IPSec Aggressive Mode…

44. The Lords of the Net
Administrator, the Lord of the Net
A large network means many administrators
Feudalism
• Rules are for wimps
• Enterprise IT infrastructure
VS “my infrastructure”
• Remote access systems
• Amusing web servers and trail
apps

45. “All animals are equal but…”

46. The Lords of the Rings
TCP:1337 (SSL) – a web server of the system
administration department
Radio broadcasting (ShoutCast Server with a
default password)
Location: an administrator workstation
With all the consequences…

47. Pentester Tips & Tricks
Try not to miss a thing on the perimeter
Keep in mind third-party hosts
Get approvals for every step of your work
Don‟t disregard network rarities. Sometimes a web
camera can pave the way to the network core!
Pay special attention to Web
Remember admins

48. Partners and
Contractors

49. Contractors?
Requirements for system access (VPN)
Standard accounts (in order to remember)
No update management
Employees

50. Contractors…
Contractor in the technology network
• Wireless interface on a laptop
• Everyone, a shared folder
• The folder contains an installer of a control system
for xDSL modems/end routers
• With an in-built SA password in DBMS
• Who also has the same system?
Applications for agents, sale and activation of
communication services package
• Fat-client application
• Build-in access password for DBMS
• … as SYSDBA

51. There Are Different Contractors...
OMG?! HAVE I PWND THAT?

52. Pentester Tips & Tricks
Contractors are never to be hacked
Get approvals for every step of your work
Many scenarios can be efficiently demonstrated by a
“white box” method
Suppose, I were a contractor
But you are not a contractor
…A fickle client…

53. Technology
Networks

54. Something special?
Changes are highly dynamic in the network
• New gadgets keep emerging
• Contractors keep working
• Configuration keeps changing
Implemented components and protocols are standard
• Threats typical for IP
• Configuration errors
• Platform vulnerabilities
Some errors can cause failures and facilitate frauds

55. Technology Networks Are Networks First of All!
Equipment vulnerabilities
Test systems, contractors‟ systems
FORGOTTEN(!) systems
Network management systems

56. Forgotten Systems
Non-configured switch
Uptime: 2 years!

57. Network Management Systems
Such treasure
•Network topology
•Device configuration
•Passwords and keys for
VPN/Wi-Fi/SNMP/RADIUS/VPN…
“They are behind the firewall”
+ Web password
- OS, DBMS, Web updates
+ Standard passwords for DBMS
+ File(!) shares

58. That‟s Tough!
WPA-PSK for
AP is found
Where are the
points
located?!!

59. Backup Is Quite a Useful Thing!
Especially on the Net!

60. VoIP Is a Honey Pie
Call management
Identity theft
(fraud)
Access to the
enterprise network
VoIP
Attack against…
Fraud or fraudulent
infrastructure
mispresentation
gateways
protocols
i[P]Phone
Wiretapping And more…

61. VoIP
1. VoIP Wi-Fi access (No WPA, so “slow”)
2. The nearest CISCO Call Manager
a) SQLi, CVE-2008-0026
https://www.example.org/ccmuser/personaladdressbookEdit.do?key='+UNION+ALL+SELECT+'','','',user,'',password+from+app
licationuser;--
b) Collecting hash
runsql select user,password from applicationuser
c) Restoring passwords from the hash
Компьютер
нарушителя
3. Level 15 for the whole network
1
WEP
ТОП ТОП
2 КЛВС
Вне офиса
Компании «А»
PSTN
IP PBX
Компания «А»
3
SQL injection
CVE-2008-0026

62. Mobile Networks – It‟s So Banal
Only the perimeter is secure
Some weird hardware?
• 3G SoftSwitch – Solaris 10 с CVE-2007-0882
(telnet -f)
•…

63. Self-Service Platform
WEB/USSD/WAP
Interface with payment systems
A possibility of money withdrawal
No authentication (Caller ID)
Weak authentication (PIN-код?)
Vulnerable applications (Web, SQL Injection, XSS)

64. VAS platforms
Someone’s application on the operator’s network
Malicious content, WAP-provisioning
Rich access via mobile stations (WAP/HTTP):
• Web application vulnerabilities
• Platform vulnerabilities
Platforms for service development

65. Instead of a
Conclusion

66. Forensic Nightmare
Large networks make it extremely difficult to
investigate incidents
Lots of vectors, tons of hardware, a great deal
of administrators
A couple of hops on the internal network, and
no one will make head or tail of it

67. Who is there?

68. Trying To Make Head or Tail…

69. Some Are Concerned…

70. Others Are Happy

71. Thank you for your attention!
Sergey Gordeychik
gordey@ptsecurity.com
http://sgordey.blogspot.com
http://ptresearch.blogspot.com
http://phdays.com