COMMAND

    Flowpoint 2000 DSL routers

SYSTEMS AFFECTED

    Flowpoint 2000 DSL routers

PROBLEM

    Jason Ackley found following.   There exists a DoS in  Flowpoint's
    (A)DSL 2000  router ('fp2k')  running software  rev 1.2.3  (anyone
    have  other  revs  to  test?).   Flowpoint  builds the routers and
    distributes them through various OEMs  and VARs, one that we  know
    of is Diamond Lane Commuications, so if you have a DSL router  its
    best to take a peak at it real quick(tm).  Basically its not  much
    bigger than a modem, has six blinky lights on the front.

    Like most routers the  fp2k will allow you  to telnet into it  for
    monitoring/ testing / admin functions.  One problem exists in that
    the fp2k does not allow you to (as of firmware 1.4.1) configure  a
    telnet password, only a system password (sort of like 'enable') to
    change things.  It also allows you to change the telnet port  that
    it listens on , but that seems a little too much 'security through
    obscurity'.  Once you telnet into the fp2k you are presented  with
    something like:

        FlowPoint/2000 ADSL Router v1.2.3 Ready
        >

    Once you 'are  in' , you  can do a  few basic things,  in order to
    edit  things,  you  can  use  the  'login' command followed by the
    password, such as:

        > login foobar
        Logged in successfully!
        #

    The problem happens when you do something like:

        >login <alot of crap here, serveral kilobytes worth or so>

    At this point,  you will not  get the prompt  back (if you  did it
    right) and on the serial console, you may get something like:

        TCP: trim 13 bytes from the front!

    With the 13 ranging from 1 as high as 976 from few tests..   There
    is obviously  some problems  in the  way it  handles its buffers..
    The mem command reports %99 of the small buffers in use:

        >mem
         Small buffers used....... 254 (99% of 256 used)
        Large buffers used.......  52 (20% of 256 used)

    If you  close the  telnet connection  and try  again, you  may get
    something like this on the console:

        NOTIFIER: no mem: TCP: lvl=9: c=0: sc=0: e=0 another incoming connection
        ignored for now

        SNMP read attempts will get the first few OID objects, then start errors
        on the serial port of:
        SNMPD: TX: err: allocate packet buffer!
        SNMPD: TX: err: allocate packet buffer!

    At this point, serial communications gets interrupted (it must  be
    waiting on a small buffer to get freed up) As typing commands will
    not do anything, you have to type them a few times (and  hopefully
    get the buffer before something else does).  A ps reveals that  my
    old telnet is still active:

        > TID:          NAME               FL P BOTTOM CURRENT SIZE
          1:IDLE                         02 7 12f9f0  130100 2032
         18:TN [170.1.68.2:4658]         03 6 130220  131070 4080
          3:MSFS_SYNC                    03 6 1314a0  131ba0 2032
          4:SYSTEM LOGGER                03 5 131cd0  1323d0 2032
          5:LL_PPP                       03 5 135620  135d20 2032
          6:NL_IP                        03 5 135f10  136208 1000
          7:TL_IP_UDP                    03 3 136390  136690 1000
          8:TL_IP_TCP                    03 3 1367f0  136ef8 2032
          9:IP_RIP                       03 4 137050  137348 1000
         10:TELNETD                      03 5 137480  137760 1000
         11:BOOTP                        03 5 13a590  13a878 1000
         12:DUM                          03 5 13ad10  13b410 2032
         13:ADSL                         03 1 13b560  13bc28 2032
         14:SNMPD                        03 5 133b40  134a48 4080
         15:CMD                          01 6 13c0c0  13cf10 4080
        >

    With some  heavy internet  traffic started,  of a  ftp session and
    surfing the web a bit the serial port becomes frozen, but it still
    displays the NOTIFER message and SNMPD error messages when you try
    to do something.  After a  power cycle, the box is back  to itself
    again.

    Chris added another an overlooked network hazard.  If you recently
    had a DSL  Line installed, or  just got yourself  a FlowPoint 2000
    DSL  Router,  then  chances  are,  it  hasn't  been properly setup
    regarding admin password.

SOLUTION

    If your box  becomes like this,  you can powercycle  it and it  is
    back to normal.   Flowpoint provided a  fix so you  should upgrade
    your firmware, v1.4.1  is the 'fixed'  version they gave,  v1.4.3.
    Contact  Flowpoint  or  the  OEM  label  that yours has stamped on
    it for more infoormation regarding upgrading firmware.

    You should log on to your router and resetting your password since
    the default  is 'admin',  If you  don't you  run the  risk of your
    connection being dropped  or some other  malicious things, If  you
    don't  know  how  to  change  your  password  simply,  login, type
    'system admin <your password>' and that should take care of that..