rkhunter found this...

[Daniel B. Thurman]

Daniel B. Thurman wrote:
> Daniel B. Thurman wrote:
>> Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote:
>>> Rick Stevens wrote:
>>>  
>>>> Do NOT ignore it.  I don't think you quite understand what /dev/null
>>>> is.  It is supposed to be a device, not a file.  Somehow it got 
>>>> deleted
>>>> and now whenever a script or something does a redirect of its 
>>>> output to
>>>> /dev/null, instead of going to a device (and thence into the bit
>>>> bucket), it creates a file called /dev/null.
>>>>
>>>>     
>>> What the OP found was /dev/nul - one l. I suspect that /dev/null was
>>> still there.
>>>
>>>  
>>>> To fix it:
>>>>
>>>> 1. Do an "ls -Z /dev/null" and make sure there is no _regular_ file,
>>>> directory, symlink, pipe or anything else called "/dev/null".  
>>>> Check the
>>>> first character of the permissions.  If it's anything other than a "c"
>>>> then delete the file (you may need to do an "rm -rf /dev/null" to kill
>>>> it).
>>>>
>>>> 2. As root, run "MAKEDEV -x null".  That should recreate the device
>>>> file.
>>>>
>>>> 3. Run "ls -Z /dev/null" again and you should see something like:
>>>>
>>>> crw-rw-rw-  root root system_u:object_r:null_device_t:s0 /dev/null
>>>>
>>>> displayed.  If the first character of the permissions is NOT a "c", it
>>>> didn't work.
>>>>
>>>>     
>>> If he is running a fairly modern system - one that uses the dev file
>>> system, and/or runs udev, then udev will re-create it when the
>>> system reboots. In this case, it /dev/null is really gone, it is
>>> probably the safest way for hte OP to fix it...
>>>
>>> Mikkel
>>>   
>> Sigh.  I should have pointed out that my /dev/null is a device (I 
>> knew that!)and
>> it is unmolested!
>>
>> My device /dev/null IS as Mikkel said:
>> crw-rw-rw-  root root system_u:object_r:null_device_t:s0 /dev/null
>>
>> Instead, there is a TEXT file created: /dev/nul  (one "l") and rkhunter
>> reported it's suspicions correctly.
>>
>> I do NOT have any scripts that I have created (I only have
>> TWO scripts in my home/bin and I looked with a fine-toothed
>> comb.  It is not ME that created the /dev/nul (one "l")
>>
>> Somewhere, the SYSTEM (script or program) is creating it.
>>
>> The "clue" I left was:
>> =======[/dev/nul]=========
>> # more /dev/nul
>> nsdc: no patch necessary.
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>> ========================
>>
>> For fun,  I looked at: /etc/init.d/nsd and there was code
>> in two places that had: 2>%1 (a stderr redirect?) and I suspected
>> it was intended to be: 2>&1?  I was not sure the % was
>> something I have seen before - this does not exists in the
>> entire /etc/init.d directory except for nsd!  Bug????
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Dan
>>
> I also found the same problems in:
> /etc/cron.hourly/nsd
>
> There are three places where the same 2>%1 appears
> but ALSO there is that /dev/nul (one "l") !!!
>
> Now, the question I have is: is 2>%1 a valid redirect
> string?  If not, then it is only the cron script in 3 places
Drat:  change above: "If not," to "If is valid"
> but if it is not, then there are 5 places, two in init.d and
> three in the cron script.
>
> Thanks!
> Dan
>