The Log Files
A few weeks ago, I went back to the Palo Alto client where I had the email fiasco last year.
The site is unique in that the tech folks are truly "classic tech people" that lack general hygiene and social skills. Many of them, now in their fifties, still live with their parents.
This time I came back to do a integration between a new system that they purchased and an API that I wrote for them.
I start the meeting by looking at their new system... I'm shocked to learn the password for the admin site login is "password."
"Look the the admin site authentication for this system is awful. We really need to harden security." I said.
Ken looks at me and smiles. "Huh-huh, huh-huh, huh-huh. Hey Beavis, he said -HARDEN-."
The entire tech group laughs.
Now Ken is the alpha male of the geeks. He's a fat slob of a sys admin that survives on a steady diet of Mountain Dews and fruit pies. When we go out to eat, he only orders drinks with "NO ICE" since the ice waters down the sweetness. His wardrobe consists of Atari t-shirts and Walmart Baggy jeans. He also proudly states that he has 30 pairs of underwear and 30 shirts... this allows him to do laundry only 12 times a year...
"Will you shut the hell up!" I said angrily.
"Now, John" replied Ken. "Part of your job as consultant is to take our nonstop assults on your character and manhood. That's the whole point of a consultant." He smiles at me sarcastically. He's missing one front tooth so that smile looks particularly hideous.
"Yeah!" replied Ruben. "You're here cuz all the other consultants are BOGUS and can't take our personalities. Major FOOBAR dude."
Ruben then proceeds to yank some nose hairs out of a nostil. I hear a crunch sound as the hairs are uprooted.
I look at Ruben in shock. "Dude, that's gross. You guy are absolutely disgusting! You sit there and eat your damn junk food and play your damn D&D game every night with your CLERICS and SWORDS and think that's living ... that's just PATHETIC!" I shouted at them.
Ken looks at me and laughs. "You are SUCH as loser, John. You don't even know that Clerics in D&D can't use bladed weapons."
Everybody laughed at me... and yes I checked, this is actually a rule in the second Edition of D&D. Clerics can only use non-bladed weapons such as maces...
"All right, John." replied Ken. "I've love to stay here and trash you for a few more hours, but the Dr. Who Marathon starts soon. What is it that you want?"
"All right. I'm having trouble getting the API to talk to your new app. Where are the log files for this new system?" I asked. "Is it on this site with the 'Password' password?"
"No." replied Ruben. "It's written to rsyslog. That server is on admin subnet. You will need to login to RDP to access that server."
Another guy gives me the login information for the Remote Desktop Server. From there, I can access the server with the log files.
"Download the files, then you should be able to open them on the RDP server." said Ruben.
So I click the download link.
The site then prompts me to -Enter encryption password-
"What the hell is this?" I asked.
"It will encrypt the log files before you can download them.... for security." said Ruben.
I type "hello123".
-Error. This password contains a dictionary word. Please try again-
I then type "h3llo123."
-Error. This password contains a repeating sequence of letters-
I then type "h3l1o123."
-Error. Your password must contain at least 1 capital letter-
"H3l1o123."
-Error. This password is too short. Password must be at least 20 characters long-
"20 characters? Christ. This are damn log files. This is nuts." I said.
"You're against security, John?" said Ken sarcastically.
"Security?" I asked in disbelief. "Christ, that other site's password IS PASSWORD."
"But that site's not my responsibility..." said Ken smugly.
I sigh.... I then type in a long-ass password that's literally feels like military grade encryption. That password is finally accepted. And I get the log files.... ApacheLOG.rar
I double-click the file on the windows remote desktop server. I get the error
-NO application is associated with filetype RAR-
RAR is a type file compression that similar to ZIP. Unfortunately, Windows is not able to handle these files by default.
"You need to install winrar, Beavis" replied Ruben.
"Yeah, dumbass!" added Ken.
"SHUT UP, JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!" I said angrily. Jesus Christ ... backseat typers....
I go the winrar site, and download the rar archiver app. I then double click to install.
-You cannot install this application due to the security policies of this server-
The file is on the RDP server, but the RDP server can't open it. I then try to copy the file from the RDP server to my laptop.
-File copy has been disabled-
"What the hell?" I screamed in disbelief.
"Come on, John," replied Manu, another unix admin. "It's always like this."
Unfortunately, he's correct. The simply act of getting files now can sometimes take hours due to crazy security policies.
"Interesting." replied Ken. "Maybe you can email the file to yourself as an attachment."
"OK let me try that." I said.
From the RDP server, I try to open https://www.gmail.com
-This site has been blocked due to security policies-
GMAIL is blocked from the RDP server. As is hotmail, yahoo, and facebook. So basically there's no way I can email the file back to myself.
Out of desperation, I try the YAHOO JAPAN site (https://www.yahoo.co.jp) and amazingly that worked.
So I attempt to login to the Yahoo Japan site. Of course, it then sends an authentication code to my Japan cell phone, which I need turn on. That phone's in the US, so it's roaming; that means each message I get costs $1.00. So I need to recharge that phone. The recharge is done using my Taiwan credit card so I then need to swap out my Japan SIM card for my Taiwan one to get THAT authentication code.
About 40 minutes later, I actually able to login the Yahoo Japan site. I then send the ApacheLOG.rar file to myself which I can then retrieve on my local mac.
I then attempt to open the file.
-Please enter the password used to archive this file-
"John, you wrote down the password you used to archive these files, right?" asked Ken.
Jesus Christ.... I hate coming here.
"Ken give me the log file site again..."
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