[CentOS] /var/log/secure timestamp

Thu Dec 14 15:18:02 UTC 2006
Will McDonald <wmcdonald at gmail.com>

On 14/12/06, Andres Baravalle <andres.baravalle at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I have some very strange information in my /var/log/secure:
>
> find /var/log | xargs grep -i 62.149.129.73 2>/dev/null
> /var/log/secure:Dec 13 21:32:38 baravalle xinetd[1219]: START: smtp
> pid=26049 from=62.149.129.73
> /var/log/secure:Dec 13 21:32:38 baravalle sshd[26048]: Did not receive
> identification string from ::ffff:62.149.129.73
> /var/log/secure:Dec 13 20:33:33 baravalle sshd[26059]: Failed none for
> invalid user admin1000000 from ::ffff:62.149.129.73 port 3754 ssh2
> /var/log/secure:Dec 13 21:33:42 baravalle sshd[26058]: Failed password
> for invalid user admin1000000 from ::ffff:62.149.129.73 port 3754 ssh2
> /var/log/secure:Dec 13 20:33:42 baravalle sshd[26059]: Failed password
> for invalid user admin1000000 from ::ffff:62.149.129.73 port 3754 ssh2
>
> Apparently someone tried to log in with a user name (I changed the
> username here). I don't like the timestamps: 21:32:38, 20:33:33,
> 21:33:42, 20:33:42.
>
> Why is that?
>
> By the way, most probably the access has been done by my provider.
> They are denying it, but there is overwhelming evidence: the username
> used is the one that they gave me, which is the word admin and a
> string of 7 digits. The username should be known just by me, my
> business partner and my provider. The username was anyway invalid in
> the system, because I had disabled SSH access from all users but the
> ones in a group. Nevertheless, in their records, the provider had
> another user name that I didn't disable (stupid me) because they did
> some maintenance work not long ago. I can't see any access from the
> correct user name since the last time I had authorised them to access
> the server.

We covered something similar a little while back. Don't know if it's
the same problem you're seeing but this might help shed some light...

http://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos/2006-November/072459.html

Will.