win2ban - Fail2Ban for Windows

win2ban is a Fail2ban implementation for Windows systems. It is a packaging of Fail2ban, Python, Cygwin, Winlogbeat and many other related tools to make it a complete and ready-to-use solution for brute-force attack protection.

Fail2ban is a generic intrusion prevention system, featuring multiple blocking techniques and preconfigured for a variety of server applications. It operates by monitoring log files for selected entries and running scripts based on them. Winlogbeat reads from one or more event logs using Windows APIs, filters the events based on user-configured criteria, then sends the event data to the configured outputs. Cygwin is a Linux-like environment for Windows. It consists of a DLL (Cygwin1.dll), which emulates substantial Linux API functionality, and a collection of tools.

Itefix provides a virtual test lab in where you can try our products with full functionality. At the moment we have 7 hosts (Windows 7, Windows 2008 R2, Windows 2012 R2, Windows 10, Windows 2016, Windows 2019 and Lubuntu 16.04 for Unix scenarios). Our lab has no Internet access. All lab computers are refreshed every three hours.

Itefix software is available via a URL on the desktop. You have also access to some popular 3rd party software to test client scenarios. Download the software to lab computers which share the same network, so it is possible to experiment with multiple hosts. A network diagram showing the connectivity is available via the URL.

Our lab has also a Lubuntu 16.04 desktop to test Unix/X windows scenarios. In the case you need to login via ssh from an other test computer, you can use following credentials: user lab1user, pwd user1lab

win2ban - win2ban for Windows
USD 29.00

The product is a bundle containing installers for 32- and 64-bit systems.

Quantity is the number of computers to install the product on.

Related products: 
Copssh
cwRsync
Nagwin

Installation

Supported platforms: Vista/2008(R2)/7/8/2012(R2)/2016

win2ban comes as a zip archive containing a Nullsoft Installer package. Unzip the downloaded file and run  the installer :

  1. Click Next at Welcome-page
  2. View license agreement.
  3. Specify an installation location.
  4. Select components to install. You can choose not to install Winlogbeat if there is no need for making eventlog entries available for processing via Fail2ban in your case.
  5. Installation starts and installs Fail2ban and optional Winlogbeat as services (win2ban_fail2ban and win2ban_winlogbeat) 

Usage

Fail2ban configuration files are located at etc/fail2ban. You need to develop/implement your jails according to your needs. The file jail.local is configured with a proper set of default parameters for Windows usage. The file windows-firewall.local in the action.d directory contains ban/unban commands for the Windows firewall. It is also possible to configure the server using commands sent to it by fail2ban-client. A shell environment can be initiated by running win2ban-shell.cmd located at the root of the installation directory.  See also our FAQs for more examples:

 

A simple fail2ban example:

Log file tmp/test.log:

Problem: 1.2.3.4 2018-03-26 22:37:16
Problem: 1.2.3.4 2018-03-26 22:41:12
Problem: 5.6.7.8 2018-03-26 22:41:16

 

File etc/fail2ban/jail.local:

[DEFAULT]
maxretry = 1
findtime = 6000
bantime = 180
banaction = windows-firewall
backend = polling

[test]
enabled  = true
filter   = test
logpath  = /tmp/test.log

File etc/fail2ban/filter.d/test.local:

[Definition]
failregex   = ^Problem: <HOST>\s*$
ignoreregex =

 

Fail2ban log example (var/log/fail2ban.log):

2018-03-26 22:36:42,176 fail2ban.server         [3056]: INFO    --------------------------------------------------
2018-03-26 22:36:42,176 fail2ban.server         [3056]: INFO    Starting Fail2ban v0.10.2
2018-03-26 22:36:42,176 fail2ban.server         [3056]: INFO    Daemon started
2018-03-26 22:36:42,209 fail2ban.database       [3056]: INFO    Connected to fail2ban persistent database '/var/lib/fail2ban/fail2ban.sqlite3'
2018-03-26 22:36:42,212 fail2ban.jail           [3056]: INFO    Creating new jail 'test'
2018-03-26 22:36:42,212 fail2ban.jail           [3056]: INFO    Jail 'test' uses poller {}
2018-03-26 22:36:42,213 fail2ban.jail           [3056]: INFO    Initiated 'polling' backend
2018-03-26 22:36:42,215 fail2ban.filter         [3056]: INFO    Added logfile: '/tmp/test.log' (pos = 761, hash = ab6aa4af41e46cc1dfbb26a99bc80bd0)
2018-03-26 22:36:42,216 fail2ban.filter         [3056]: INFO      maxRetry: 1
2018-03-26 22:36:42,216 fail2ban.filter         [3056]: INFO      encoding: UTF-8
2018-03-26 22:36:42,217 fail2ban.actions        [3056]: INFO      banTime: 180
2018-03-26 22:36:42,217 fail2ban.filter         [3056]: INFO      findtime: 6000
2018-03-26 22:36:42,220 fail2ban.jail           [3056]: INFO    Jail 'test' started
2018-03-26 22:37:28,483 fail2ban.filter         [3056]: INFO    [test] Found 1.2.3.4 - 2018-03-26 22:37:12
2018-03-26 22:37:28,483 fail2ban.filter         [3056]: INFO    [test] Found 1.2.3.4 - 2018-03-26 22:37:16
2018-03-26 22:37:29,220 fail2ban.actions        [3056]: NOTICE  [test] Ban 1.2.3.4
2018-03-26 22:40:16,358 fail2ban.actions        [3056]: NOTICE  [test] Unban 1.2.3.4
2018-03-26 22:42:07,750 fail2ban.filter         [3056]: INFO    [test] Found 1.2.3.4 - 2018-03-26 22:41:12
2018-03-26 22:42:07,750 fail2ban.filter         [3056]: INFO    [test] Found 5.6.7.8 - 2018-03-26 22:41:16
2018-03-26 22:42:07,766 fail2ban.actions        [3056]: NOTICE  [test] Ban 1.2.3.4
2018-03-26 22:42:07,891 fail2ban.actions        [3056]: NOTICE  [test] Ban 5.6.7.8
2018-03-26 22:44:13,826 fail2ban.actions        [3056]: NOTICE  [test] Unban 1.2.3.4
2018-03-26 22:44:18,041 fail2ban.actions        [3056]: NOTICE  [test] Unban 5.6.7.8
2018-03-27 00:01:10,808 fail2ban.server         [3056]: INFO    Shutdown in progress...
2018-03-27 00:01:10,808 fail2ban.server         [3056]: INFO    Stopping all jails
2018-03-27 00:01:10,808 fail2ban.filter         [3056]: INFO    Removed logfile: '/tmp/test.log'
2018-03-27 00:01:11,245 fail2ban.jail           [3056]: INFO    Jail 'test' stopped
2018-03-27 00:01:11,245 fail2ban.database       [3056]: INFO    Connection to database closed.
2018-03-27 00:01:11,245 fail2ban.server         [3056]: INFO    Exiting Fail2ban
2018-03-27 09:00:07,232 fail2ban.server         [3692]: INFO    --------------------------------------------------

 

If you have selected to install winlogbeat, it can be configured via winlogbeat/win2ban.yml. By default it is configured to output event log entries last 72 hours from application, system and security eventlogs, to the logfile winlogbeat\logs\eventlog with the following format:

string: '%{[@timestamp]} %{[event_id]} %{[message]}'

 example output:

2018-03-24T10:22:09.000Z 1704 Security policy in the Group policy objects has been applied successfully.

 

 Some good references for fail2ban/winlogbeat usage: 

Official Fail2ban Website

Man pages: fail2ban    jail.conf    fail2ban-client    fail2ban-regex    fail2ban-server

Linode.com - Use Fail2ban to Secure Your Server

 Winlogbeat reference

 

 

How to handle large log files effectively ?

 

Try to append the option tail to the logpath parameter of your jail definition. Win2ban will then start to read from the end of the file instead of from the beginnning. Visit Fail2ban man page https://www.systutorials.com/docs/linux/man/5-jail.conf and search for tail for more information.

How can I configure Win2ban for Windows Remote desktop/Network logons?

  • Install Win2ban to a separate directory  
  • Add the jail win2ban-network-logon  to etc/fail2ban/jail.local: 
[DEFAULT]
backend = polling
maxretry = 2
findtime = 600
bantime = 600
banaction = windows-firewall

.....

[win2ban-network-logon]
enabled  = true
filter   = win2ban-network-logon
logpath  = /winlogbeat/logs/eventlog

  

  • Create the file etc/fail2ban/filter.d/win2ban-network-logon.local with the following content: 
# Fail2Ban filter for win2ban-network-logon

[Definition]
prefregex = ^ \d+ \{"AuthenticationPackageName":"NTLM".+<F-CONTENT>"IpAddress.+</F-CONTENT>\}$

# LogonType = 3: network login, 2: local login
failregex = ^"IpAddress":"<HOST>".+"LogonType":"3".+$

ignoreregex =

 

  • Start services win2ban_winlogbeat and win2ban_fail2ban

Log files:

Winlogbeat - winlogbeat/logs directory

Fail2ban - var/log directory

Sample /var/log/fail2ban.log:

 

2018-04-06 15:31:41,113 fail2ban.server         [4040]: INFO    Starting Fail2ban v0.10.2
2018-04-06 15:31:41,193 fail2ban.database       [4040]: INFO    Connected to fail2ban persistent database '/var/lib/fail2ban/fail2ban.sqlite3'
2018-04-06 15:31:41,197 fail2ban.jail           [4040]: INFO    Creating new jail 'copssh'
2018-04-06 15:31:41,205 fail2ban.jail           [4040]: INFO    Jail 'copssh' uses poller {}
2018-04-06 15:31:41,205 fail2ban.jail           [4040]: INFO    Initiated 'polling' backend
2018-04-06 15:31:41,207 fail2ban.filter         [4040]: INFO      maxLines: 1
2018-04-06 15:31:41,233 fail2ban.server         [4040]: INFO    Jail copssh is not a JournalFilter instance
2018-04-06 15:31:41,235 fail2ban.filter         [4040]: INFO    Added logfile: '/winlogbeat/logs/eventlog' (pos = 36044, hash = 4bd8f42a7d4b980d2921fe03ed7ffaf1)
2018-04-06 15:31:41,236 fail2ban.filter         [4040]: INFO      maxRetry: 2
2018-04-06 15:31:41,236 fail2ban.filter         [4040]: INFO      encoding: UTF-8
2018-04-06 15:31:41,237 fail2ban.actions        [4040]: INFO      banTime: 600
2018-04-06 15:31:41,237 fail2ban.filter         [4040]: INFO      findtime: 600
2018-04-06 15:31:41,239 fail2ban.jail           [4040]: INFO    Creating new jail 'win2ban-network-logon'
2018-04-06 15:31:41,239 fail2ban.jail           [4040]: INFO    Jail 'win2ban-network-logon' uses poller {}
2018-04-06 15:31:41,239 fail2ban.jail           [4040]: INFO    Initiated 'polling' backend
2018-04-06 15:31:41,242 fail2ban.filter         [4040]: INFO    Added logfile: '/winlogbeat/logs/eventlog' (pos = 0, hash = 4bd8f42a7d4b980d2921fe03ed7ffaf1)
2018-04-06 15:31:41,243 fail2ban.filter         [4040]: INFO      maxRetry: 2
2018-04-06 15:31:41,243 fail2ban.filter         [4040]: INFO      encoding: UTF-8
2018-04-06 15:31:41,243 fail2ban.actions        [4040]: INFO      banTime: 600
2018-04-06 15:31:41,244 fail2ban.filter         [4040]: INFO      findtime: 600
2018-04-06 15:31:41,246 fail2ban.jail           [4040]: INFO    Jail 'copssh' started
2018-04-06 15:31:41,248 fail2ban.jail           [4040]: INFO    Jail 'win2ban-network-logon' started
2018-04-06 15:32:32,709 fail2ban.filter         [4040]: INFO    [win2ban-network-logon] Found 192.168.122.13 - 2018-04-06 15:32:29
2018-04-06 15:32:39,423 fail2ban.filter         [4040]: INFO    [win2ban-network-logon] Found 192.168.122.13 - 2018-04-06 15:32:36
2018-04-06 15:32:40,189 fail2ban.actions        [4040]: NOTICE  [win2ban-network-logon] Ban 192.168.122.13
2018-04-06 15:42:37,563 fail2ban.actions        [4040]: NOTICE  [win2ban-network-logon] Unban 192.168.122.13

How can I configure Win2ban for brute force attacks against Copssh ?

  • Install Win2ban to a separate directory  
  • Enable jail copssh in etc/fail2ban/jail.local:
[DEFAULT]
backend = polling
maxretry = 2
findtime = 600
bantime = 600
banaction = windows-firewall

[copssh]
enabled  = true
filter   = copssh-sshd
logpath  = /winlogbeat/logs/eventlog

   

  • Start services win2ban_winlogbeat and win2ban_fail2ban

Log files:

Winlogbeat - winlogbeat/logs directory

Fail2ban - var/log directory

Sample /var/log/fail2ban.log: 

2018-04-05 23:54:28,411 fail2ban.server         [424]: INFO    --------------------------------------------------
2018-04-05 23:54:28,411 fail2ban.server         [424]: INFO    Starting Fail2ban v0.10.2
2018-04-05 23:54:28,442 fail2ban.database       [424]: INFO    Connected to fail2ban persistent database '/var/lib/fail2ban/fail2ban.sqlite3'
2018-04-05 23:54:28,446 fail2ban.jail           [424]: INFO    Creating new jail 'copssh'
2018-04-05 23:54:28,447 fail2ban.jail           [424]: INFO    Jail 'copssh' uses poller {}
2018-04-05 23:54:28,447 fail2ban.jail           [424]: INFO    Initiated 'polling' backend
2018-04-05 23:54:28,448 fail2ban.filter         [424]: INFO      maxLines: 1
2018-04-05 23:54:28,467 fail2ban.server         [424]: INFO    Jail copssh is not a JournalFilter instance
2018-04-05 23:54:28,468 fail2ban.filter         [424]: INFO    Added logfile: '/winlogbeat/logs/eventlog' (pos = 19020, hash = c54619552ccd10f356c0810faec6cdba)
2018-04-05 23:54:28,468 fail2ban.filter         [424]: INFO      maxRetry: 2
2018-04-05 23:54:28,469 fail2ban.filter         [424]: INFO      encoding: UTF-8
2018-04-05 23:54:28,469 fail2ban.actions        [424]: INFO      banTime: 600
2018-04-05 23:54:28,470 fail2ban.filter         [424]: INFO      findtime: 600
2018-04-05 23:54:28,472 fail2ban.jail           [424]: INFO    Jail 'copssh' started
2018-04-05 23:55:20,525 fail2ban.filter         [424]: INFO    [copssh] Found 192.168.122.13 - 2018-04-05 23:55:19
2018-04-05 23:55:23,787 fail2ban.filter         [424]: INFO    [copssh] Found 192.168.122.13 - 2018-04-05 23:55:22
2018-04-05 23:55:23,953 fail2ban.actions        [424]: NOTICE  [copssh] Ban 192.168.122.13
2018-04-05 23:58:22,875 fail2ban.actions        [424]: NOTICE  [copssh] Unban 192.168.122.13
2018-04-06 00:54:57,531 fail2ban.server         [424]: INFO    Shutdown in progress...
2018-04-06 00:54:57,531 fail2ban.server         [424]: INFO    Stopping all jails
2018-04-06 00:54:57,532 fail2ban.filter         [424]: INFO    Removed logfile: '/winlogbeat/logs/eventlog'
2018-04-06 00:54:58,328 fail2ban.jail           [424]: INFO    Jail 'copssh' stopped
2018-04-06 00:54:58,332 fail2ban.database       [424]: INFO    Connection to database closed.
2018-04-06 00:54:58,333 fail2ban.server         [424]: INFO    Exiting Fail2ban

 This package contains components with following terms of licensing:

 

Component Product Licensing
Fail2ban 0.10.4 Fail2ban license Source code for Duplicity is available here.
Python 2.7.14 Python license
Cygwin and GNU tools 2.11.1 CYGWIN license Source code for Cygwin and GNU Tools are available here.
Elastic Winlogbeat 6.4.2 Winlogbeat license
win2ban

1.1.0

Itefix EULA