The Hack FAQ

19.0 Netware Accounts


The following section deals with Accounts on Netware systems.


19.1 What are common accounts and passwords for Netware?

Out of the box Novell Netware has the following default accounts - SUPERVISOR, GUEST, and Netware 4.x has ADMIN and USER_TEMPLATE as well. All of these have no password to start with. Virtually every installer quickly gives SUPERVISOR and ADMIN a password. However, many locations will create special purpose accounts that have easy-to-guess names, some with no passwords. Here are a few and their typical purposes:

        Account         Purpose
        ----------      ------------------------------------------------------
        PRINT           Attaching to a second server for printing
        LASER           Attaching to a second server for printing
        HPLASER         Attaching to a second server for printing
        PRINTER         Attaching to a second server for printing
        LASERWRITER     Attaching to a second server for printing
        POST            Attaching to a second server for email
        MAIL            Attaching to a second server for email
        GATEWAY         Attaching a gateway machine to the server
        GATE            Attaching a gateway machine to the server
        ROUTER          Attaching an email router to the server
        BACKUP          May have password/station restrictions (see below), used
                        for backing up the server to a tape unit attached to a
                        workstation. For complete backups, Supervisor equivalence
                        is required.
        WANGTEK         See BACKUP
        FAX             Attaching a dedicated fax modem unit to the network
        FAXUSER         Attaching a dedicated fax modem unit to the network
        FAXWORKS        Attaching a dedicated fax modem unit to the network
        TEST            A test user account for temp use
        ARCHIVIST       Palidrome default account for backup
        CHEY_ARCHSVR    An account for Arcserve to login to the server from    
                        from the console for tape backup. Version 5.01g's
                        password was WONDERLAND. Delete the Station
                        Restrictions and use SUPER.EXE to toggle this 
                        account and you have an excellent backdoor.
        WINDOWS_PASSTHRU Although not required, per the Microsoft Win95
                        Resource Kit, Ch. 9 pg. 292 and Ch. 11 pg. 401 you
                        need this for resource sharing without a password.
        ROOT            Found on Shiva LanRovers, gets you the command-line
                        equiv of the AdminGUI. By default, no password. A lot 
                        admins just use the AdminGUI and never set up a 
                        password.

VARs (Value Added Resellers) repackage Netware with their own hardware or with custom software. Here is a short list of known passwords:

        VAR      Account     Password  Purpose
        -------  ----------  --------  -------------------------------------------
        STIN     SUPERVISOR  SYSTEM    Travel agency running SABRE
        STIN     SABRE       -none-    Like a guest account
        STIN     WINSABRE    WINSABRE  Windows guest account for NW 2.15c
        STIN     WINSABRE    SABRE     Windows guest account for NW 3.x
        HARRIS   SUPERVISOR  HARRIS    Tricord reseller, ships NW preinstalled
        NETFRAME SUPERVISOR  NF        Also NETFRAME and NFI
        NETFRAME             aaa       New installation default password       

This should give you an idea of accounts to try if you have access to a machine that attaches to the server. A way to "hide" yourself is to give GUEST or USER_TEMPLATE a password. Occassionally admins will check up on GUEST, but most forget about USER_TEMPLATE. In fact, I forgot about USER_TEMPLATE until itsme reminded me.

This list is also a good starting point for account names for "backdoors". In some environments these account names will be left alone, particularly in large companies, especially Netware 4.x sites with huge trees. And don't forget account names like Alt-255 or NOT-LOGGED-IN.

19.2 How can I figure out valid account names on Netware?

Any limited account should have enough access to allow you to run SYSCON, located in the SYS:PUBLIC directory. If you get in, type SYSCON and enter. Now go to User Information and you will see a list of all defined accounts. You will not get much info with a limited account, but you can get the account and the user's full name.

If your in with any valid account, you can run USERLST.EXE and get a list of all valid account names on the server.

If you don't have access (maybe the sys admin deleted the GUEST account, a fairly common practice), you can't just try any account name at the LOGIN prompt. It will ask you for a password whether the account name is valid or not, and if it is valid and you guees the wrong password, you could be letting the world know what you're up to if Intruder Detection is on. But there is a way to determine if an account is valid.

From a DOS prompt use a local copy (on your handy floppy you carry everywhere) of MAP.EXE. After you've loaded the Netware TSRs up through NETX or VLM, Try to map a drive using the server name and volume SYS:. For example:

MAP G:=TARGET_SERVER/SYS:APPS

Since you are not logged in, you will be prompted for a login ID. If it is a valid ID, you will be prompted for a password. If not, you will immediately receive an error. Of course, if there is no password for the ID you use you will be attached and mapped to the server. You can do the same thing with ATTACH.EXE:

ATTACH TARGET_SERVER/loginidtotry

The same thing will happen as the MAP command. If valid, you will be prompted for a password. If not, you get an error.

Another program to check for valid users and the presence of a password is CHKNULL.EXE by itsme. This program checks for users and whether they have a password assigned.

In 4.1 CHKNULL shows you every account with no password and you do not have to be logged in. For this to work bindery emulation must be on. But there is another way to get them in 4.1.

Once you load up the VLMs you may be able to view the entire tree, or at least all of the tree you could see if logged in. Try this:

CX /T /A /R

During the installation of 4.1, [Public] has browse access to the entire tree because [Public] is added to [Root] as a Trustee. The Inherited Rights Filter flows this stuff down unless explicitly blocked. If you have the VLMs loaded and access to CX, you don't even have to log in, and you can get the name of virtually every account on the server.

If CX /T /A /R works, then NLIST USER /D will yield a massive amount of information, including who belongs to what groups, and their object ID. By combining the information between these two along with other NLIST options, you can learn a lot about an NDS tree and a server. Here a few more that come in handy:

        NLIST GROUPS /D       -List of groups, descriptions, and members.
        NLIST SERVER /D       -List of servers, versions, if attached you can determine if accounting is installed.
        NLIST /OT=* /DYN /D   -List of all readable objects, including dynamic objects, names of NDS trees, etc. 

Between using CHKNULL, CX, and NLIST an intruder could not only learn who is in what group and who has access to what, but certainly could learn who the administrators are, and specifically select accounts for attack.

Finally, consider using the Intruder utility from NMRC's Pandora v3.0. This utility has a mode that allows you to give it a list of potential account names, and it will tell you if they are valid and even if they have no password. See Pandora for details.


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