COPS (software)
The Computer Oracle and Password System was the first vulnerability scanner for Unix operating systems to achieve widespread use. It was created by Dan Farmer while he was a student at Purdue University. Gene Spafford helped Farmer start the project in 1989.
Features
COPS is a software suite comprising at least 12 small vulnerability scanners, each programmed to audit one part of the operating system:- File permissions, including device permissions/nodes
- Password strength
- Content, format, and security of password and group files
- Programs and files run in
/etc/rc*and cron files - Root-SUID files: Which users can modify them? Are they shell scripts?
- A cyclic redundancy check of important files
- Writability of users' home directories and startup files
- Anonymous FTP configuration
- Unrestricted TFTP, decode alias in sendmail, SUID uudecode problems, hidden shells inside
inetd.conf,rexdininetd.conf - Various root checks: Is the current directory in the search path? Is there a plus sign in the /etc/host.equiv file? Are NFS mounts unrestricted? Is root in
/etc/ftpusers? - Compare the modification dates of crucial files with dates of advisories from the CERT Coordination Center
- Kuang expert system
COPS is generally considered obsolete, but it is not uncommon to find systems which are set up in an insecure manner that COPS will identify.