Interview with Loki
Author: Ph33r (ph33r@isiclabs.org)
www.isiclabs.org


Q: Loki, how long have you been interested in research and development in the VPN technology world?
I guess it started about 2 years ago when I was working for NUASIS Corporation. I was brought in as the Information Security Group manager to help architect the vision and path of implementing security into their Voice over IP (VoiP) service offering.

I was charged with identifying a VPN solution that provided encryption for VoiP packets, supporting the H.323 protocol. At that time, I ran into RapidStream, a Silicon Valley based VPN vendor that manufactured VPN appliances powered by their own ASIC processor. It was then that I grew a strong interest in breaking VPNs as I identified and released my first VPN advisory.

I had conducted a simple nmap scan on the VPN to identify what ports the appliance had open. To my surprise, it had SSHD running and listening for connections. I questioned how they were doing authentication with the SSHD binary and quickly discovered they hard-coded the root account into the SSHD(exec) binary with a NULL password. Further peridition this attack caused is the ability in command line unix-style SSH clients to append shell commands at the end of an SSH string. For example: # ssh -l rsadmin "/bin/sh"

This attack string would spawn a root shell on the remote RapidStream VPN appliance. This would spark the ongoing dedication of my life to breaking VPN technology

Q: How did you find yourself working in the security industry?
I don't know really J I guess it started that fateful day as working as a web designer for a local San Jose web design company. I had an interest in charcoal-based art when I was a young child, which later grew to an obsession in computer generated art. While working at this company, one of our Solaris servers was compromised by a malicious cracker. It was then that I realized, I could make a living off bringing my outside hobbies in hacking and cryptanalysis. I had been hanging out in the Blackhat community since I was 13yo in Seattle, Washington. My morals and ethics prevented me from the devious art of cracking unauthorized systems.

After working for Galatia, I took my ideologies for a Full Turnkey security company and was later acquired by a publicly traded stock company in British Columbia. I was the youngest CEO in the arena. I would later soon join NUASIS and eventually manage the Penetration Testing division for the largest phone company in the world, SBC Datacomm.

Q: From all the advisories you have released through Fate Research Labs, which one brought the most attention towards yourself and the security community?
I would have to say the largest and most controversial advisory was the one I released on VPNet Technologies. It even unfortunately brought much legal attention from both my current employer and the vendor. Due to the "powers that be" at SBC and VPNet, too much money was on the line in a large acquisition by Lucent Technologies. VPNet wanted to do anything they could to prevent me speaking at Blackhat Briefings on the advisory. What's funny is so many people told me it couldn't be done

Q: What is your idea of the perfect world around us, security wise?
My idea of a perfect world, in the security industry? A day when computers can manufacture, build, and deploy security solutions on their own through AI or Artificial Intelligence. It is then, only then, when the human intelligence factor can be taken out, that we will have a world of complete security.

Q: What would you suggest for a "newbie" trying to start a future in the security industry?
I would suggest one simple thing, read. Anyone can point you in the right direction, but it takes your own personal willpower to take the resources given to you and make something out of it. The thing I hate the most is someone that can not think on their own or asks for help on things that can be read or learned on their own.

Q: In the VPN technology to come, what do you expect it's future to bring?
I hope that the future brings the VPN industry a new generation of the technology, completely rearchitected from its predecessor. VPNs are currently to complicated and convoluted in design, requiring deployment to be a largely meticulous task that leaves a large degree of room for error. With confidential data and a large amount of Federal networks being protected by VPN technology, such a solution should be more user-friendly in deployment. VPN vendors are also packing too many irrelevant services into their solutions attempting to make a complete solution, which in effect causes a very vulnerable solution in its stead.

Q: When you founded fate, what were your visions for it's future?
Fate Labs has suffered many ups and downs, as with any team environments where its success is dependent on mutual relationships among members. I've seen many people come and go, however, I would never trade the time I've spent, meeting the many talented people I've crossed along the way for anything in the world.

It's kind of funny, I can watch someone doing 50 things at once, writing Fate whitepapers to writing code for scanners or exploits. They are on top of the world, but all the while, it's as if I'm the only one who knows it won't last long. I'll wake up one day and that person who idled days on end will just not be there. It was sad at first, but realized that nothing in life stays the same.

Fate Labs has come quite far in its few years of its existence. I like to believe that Fate is not myself alone, but the technical prowess each and every new member brings to the table. I've learned a lot from these guys and no matter how many people come and go, the experience and knowledge we all gain from each other will always remain.

Loki
loki@fatelabs.com
www.fatelabs.com