Re: [9fans] SSH Version2

[Eric Grosse <ehg@research.bell-labs.com>]

> yikes, does that mean Plan9 is subject to the ssh1 problems other systems are
> warned not to pursue (via switching to ssh2)?

We're not vulnerable to the integer overflow leading to root compromise, because
our implementation is independent and we happen not to have the same bugs.

But yes, we're vulnerable to the CRC/CBC attacks inherent in the protocol;  see
  http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/13877
for details.  Unlike the integer overflow and man-in-the-middle attacks, this
one is not straightforward to launch.    Patches to other ssh implementations
have often introduced worse holes than the original problem, so we're inclined to
just switch to ssh2.  As further motivation, we mainly use ssh to call from Plan 9
to Unix systems and those will increasingly allow only ssh2.  But nobody here has
had time to do the work yet.

Any volunteers from outside?  We'd happily take back improved code and replace
what's in the distribution.

Also, if anyone following this more closely knows for a fact that tools for script
kiddies can routinely hijack existing sessions or break in to the idle server
under our implementation, please send mail and we'll rearrange our priorities.

Eric