Buffer overflow in the MoxaDriverIoctl function for the moxa serial driver (moxa.c) in Linux 2.2.x, 2.4.x, and 2.6.x before 2.6.22 allows local users to execute arbitrary code via a certain modified length value.

From Red Hat Security Advisory 2008:0237 :

Updated kernel packages that fix various security issues and several bugs are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.

This update has been rated as having important security impact by the Red Hat Security Response Team.

The kernel packages contain the Linux kernel, the core of any Linux operating system.

These updated packages fix the following security issues :

* the absence of a protection mechanism when attempting to access a critical section of code has been found in the Linux kernel open file descriptors control mechanism, fcntl. This could allow a local unprivileged user to simultaneously execute code, which would otherwise be protected against parallel execution. As well, a race condition when handling locks in the Linux kernel fcntl functionality, may have allowed a process belonging to a local unprivileged user to gain re-ordered access to the descriptor table. (CVE-2008-1669, Important)

* on AMD64 architectures, the possibility of a kernel crash was discovered by testing the Linux kernel process-trace ability. This could allow a local unprivileged user to cause a denial of service (kernel crash). (CVE-2008-1615, Important)

* the absence of a protection mechanism when attempting to access a critical section of code, as well as a race condition, have been found in the Linux kernel file system event notifier, dnotify. This could allow a local unprivileged user to get inconsistent data, or to send arbitrary signals to arbitrary system processes. (CVE-2008-1375, Important)

Red Hat would like to thank Nick Piggin for responsibly disclosing the following issue :

* when accessing kernel memory locations, certain Linux kernel drivers registering a fault handler did not perform required range checks. A local unprivileged user could use this flaw to gain read or write access to arbitrary kernel memory, or possibly cause a kernel crash.
(CVE-2008-0007, Important)

* the possibility of a kernel crash was found in the Linux kernel IPsec protocol implementation, due to improper handling of fragmented ESP packets. When an attacker controlling an intermediate router fragmented these packets into very small pieces, it would cause a kernel crash on the receiving node during packet reassembly.
(CVE-2007-6282, Important)

* a flaw in the MOXA serial driver could allow a local unprivileged user to perform privileged operations, such as replacing firmware.
(CVE-2005-0504, Important)

As well, these updated packages fix the following bugs :

* multiple buffer overflows in the neofb driver have been resolved. It was not possible for an unprivileged user to exploit these issues, and as such, they have not been handled as security issues.

* a kernel panic, due to inconsistent detection of AGP aperture size, has been resolved.

* a race condition in UNIX domain sockets may have caused 'recv()' to return zero. In clustered configurations, this may have caused unexpected failovers.

* to prevent link storms, network link carrier events were delayed by up to one second, causing unnecessary packet loss. Now, link carrier events are scheduled immediately.

* a client-side race on blocking locks caused large time delays on NFS file systems.

* in certain situations, the libATA sata_nv driver may have sent commands with duplicate tags, which were rejected by SATA devices.
This may have caused infinite reboots.

* running the 'service network restart' command may have caused networking to fail.

* a bug in NFS caused cached information about directories to be stored for too long, causing wrong attributes to be read.

* on systems with a large highmem/lowmem ratio, NFS write performance may have been very slow when using small files.

* a bug, which caused network hangs when the system clock was wrapped around zero, has been resolved.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 users are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backported patches to resolve these issues.

These updated packages fix the following security issues :

  - the absence of a protection mechanism when attempting to     access a critical section of code has been found in the     Linux kernel open file descriptors control mechanism,     fcntl. This could allow a local unprivileged user to     simultaneously execute code, which would otherwise be     protected against parallel execution. As well, a race     condition when handling locks in the Linux kernel fcntl     functionality, may have allowed a process belonging to a     local unprivileged user to gain re-ordered access to the     descriptor table. (CVE-2008-1669, Important)

  - on AMD64 architectures, the possibility of a kernel     crash was discovered by testing the Linux kernel     process-trace ability. This could allow a local     unprivileged user to cause a denial of service (kernel     crash). (CVE-2008-1615, Important)

  - the absence of a protection mechanism when attempting to     access a critical section of code, as well as a race     condition, have been found in the Linux kernel file     system event notifier, dnotify. This could allow a local     unprivileged user to get inconsistent data, or to send     arbitrary signals to arbitrary system processes.
    (CVE-2008-1375, Important)

  - when accessing kernel memory locations, certain Linux     kernel drivers registering a fault handler did not     perform required range checks. A local unprivileged user     could use this flaw to gain read or write access to     arbitrary kernel memory, or possibly cause a kernel     crash. (CVE-2008-0007, Important)

  - the possibility of a kernel crash was found in the Linux     kernel IPsec protocol implementation, due to improper     handling of fragmented ESP packets. When an attacker     controlling an intermediate router fragmented these     packets into very small pieces, it would cause a kernel     crash on the receiving node during packet reassembly.
    (CVE-2007-6282, Important)

  - a flaw in the MOXA serial driver could allow a local     unprivileged user to perform privileged operations, such     as replacing firmware. (CVE-2005-0504, Important)

As well, these updated packages fix the following bugs :

  - multiple buffer overflows in the neofb driver have been     resolved. It was not possible for an unprivileged user     to exploit these issues, and as such, they have not been     handled as security issues.

  - a kernel panic, due to inconsistent detection of AGP     aperture size, has been resolved.

  - a race condition in UNIX domain sockets may have caused     'recv()' to return zero. In clustered configurations,     this may have caused unexpected failovers.

  - to prevent link storms, network link carrier events were     delayed by up to one second, causing unnecessary packet     loss. Now, link carrier events are scheduled     immediately.

  - a client-side race on blocking locks caused large time     delays on NFS file systems.

  - in certain situations, the libATA sata_nv driver may     have sent commands with duplicate tags, which were     rejected by SATA devices. This may have caused infinite     reboots.

  - running the 'service network restart' command may have     caused networking to fail.

  - a bug in NFS caused cached information about directories     to be stored for too long, causing wrong attributes to     be read.

  - on systems with a large highmem/lowmem ratio, NFS write     performance may have been very slow when using small     files.

  - a bug, which caused network hangs when the system clock     was wrapped around zero, has been resolved.

Updated kernel packages that fix various security issues and several bugs are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.

This update has been rated as having important security impact by the Red Hat Security Response Team.

The kernel packages contain the Linux kernel, the core of any Linux operating system.

These updated packages fix the following security issues :

* the absence of a protection mechanism when attempting to access a critical section of code has been found in the Linux kernel open file descriptors control mechanism, fcntl. This could allow a local unprivileged user to simultaneously execute code, which would otherwise be protected against parallel execution. As well, a race condition when handling locks in the Linux kernel fcntl functionality, may have allowed a process belonging to a local unprivileged user to gain re-ordered access to the descriptor table. (CVE-2008-1669, Important)

* on AMD64 architectures, the possibility of a kernel crash was discovered by testing the Linux kernel process-trace ability. This could allow a local unprivileged user to cause a denial of service (kernel crash). (CVE-2008-1615, Important)

* the absence of a protection mechanism when attempting to access a critical section of code, as well as a race condition, have been found in the Linux kernel file system event notifier, dnotify. This could allow a local unprivileged user to get inconsistent data, or to send arbitrary signals to arbitrary system processes. (CVE-2008-1375, Important)

Red Hat would like to thank Nick Piggin for responsibly disclosing the following issue :

* when accessing kernel memory locations, certain Linux kernel drivers registering a fault handler did not perform required range checks. A local unprivileged user could use this flaw to gain read or write access to arbitrary kernel memory, or possibly cause a kernel crash.
(CVE-2008-0007, Important)

* the possibility of a kernel crash was found in the Linux kernel IPsec protocol implementation, due to improper handling of fragmented ESP packets. When an attacker controlling an intermediate router fragmented these packets into very small pieces, it would cause a kernel crash on the receiving node during packet reassembly.
(CVE-2007-6282, Important)

* a flaw in the MOXA serial driver could allow a local unprivileged user to perform privileged operations, such as replacing firmware.
(CVE-2005-0504, Important)

As well, these updated packages fix the following bugs :

* multiple buffer overflows in the neofb driver have been resolved. It was not possible for an unprivileged user to exploit these issues, and as such, they have not been handled as security issues.

* a kernel panic, due to inconsistent detection of AGP aperture size, has been resolved.

* a race condition in UNIX domain sockets may have caused 'recv()' to return zero. In clustered configurations, this may have caused unexpected failovers.

* to prevent link storms, network link carrier events were delayed by up to one second, causing unnecessary packet loss. Now, link carrier events are scheduled immediately.

* a client-side race on blocking locks caused large time delays on NFS file systems.

* in certain situations, the libATA sata_nv driver may have sent commands with duplicate tags, which were rejected by SATA devices.
This may have caused infinite reboots.

* running the 'service network restart' command may have caused networking to fail.

* a bug in NFS caused cached information about directories to be stored for too long, causing wrong attributes to be read.

* on systems with a large highmem/lowmem ratio, NFS write performance may have been very slow when using small files.

* a bug, which caused network hangs when the system clock was wrapped around zero, has been resolved.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 users are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backported patches to resolve these issues.

A buffer overflow was discovered in the Moxa serial driver. Local attackers could execute arbitrary code and gain root privileges.
(CVE-2005-0504)

A flaw was discovered in the IPv6 stack's handling of type 0 route headers. By sending a specially crafted IPv6 packet, a remote attacker could cause a denial of service between two IPv6 hosts.
(CVE-2007-2242)

A flaw in the sysfs_readdir function allowed a local user to cause a denial of service by dereferencing a NULL pointer. (CVE-2007-3104)

A buffer overflow was discovered in the random number generator. In environments with granular assignment of root privileges, a local attacker could gain additional privileges. (CVE-2007-3105)

It was discovered that certain setuid-root processes did not correctly reset process death signal handlers. A local user could manipulate this to send signals to processes they would not normally have access to. (CVE-2007-3848)

It was discovered that the aacraid SCSI driver did not correctly check permissions on certain ioctls. A local attacker could cause a denial of service or gain privileges. (CVE-2007-4308).

Note that Tenable Network Security has extracted the preceding description block directly from the Ubuntu security advisory. Tenable has attempted to automatically clean and format it as much as possible without introducing additional issues.

Several local and remote vulnerabilities have been discovered in the Linux kernel that may lead to a denial of service or the execution of arbitrary code. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project identifies the following problems :

  - CVE-2004-0427     A local denial of service vulnerability in do_fork() has     been found.

  - CVE-2005-0489     A local denial of service vulnerability in proc memory     handling has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0394     A buffer overflow in the panic handling code has been     found.

  - CVE-2004-0447     A local denial of service vulnerability through a NULL     pointer dereference in the IA64 process handling code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0554     A local denial of service vulnerability through an     infinite loop in the signal handler code has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0565     An information leak in the context switch code has been     found on the IA64 architecture.

  - CVE-2004-0685     Unsafe use of copy_to_user in USB drivers may disclose     sensitive information.

  - CVE-2005-0001     A race condition in the i386 page fault handler may     allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-0883     Multiple vulnerabilities in the SMB filesystem code may     allow denial of service or information disclosure.

  - CVE-2004-0949     An information leak discovered in the SMB filesystem     code.

  - CVE-2004-1016     A local denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the SCM layer.

  - CVE-2004-1333     An integer overflow in the terminal code may allow a     local denial of service vulnerability.

  - CVE-2004-0997     A local privilege escalation in the MIPS assembly code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-1335     A memory leak in the ip_options_get() function may lead     to denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1017     Multiple overflows exist in the io_edgeport driver which     might be usable as a denial of service attack vector.

  - CVE-2005-0124     Bryan Fulton reported a bounds checking bug in the     coda_pioctl function which may allow local users to     execute arbitrary code or trigger a denial of service     attack.

  - CVE-2003-0984     Inproper initialization of the RTC may disclose     information.

  - CVE-2004-1070     Insufficient input sanitising in the load_elf_binary()     function may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1071     Incorrect error handling in the binfmt_elf loader may     lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1072     A buffer overflow in the binfmt_elf loader may lead to     privilege escalation or denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1073     The open_exec function may disclose information.

  - CVE-2004-1074     The binfmt code is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed a.out binaries.

  - CVE-2004-0138     A denial of service vulnerability in the ELF loader has     been found.

  - CVE-2004-1068     A programming error in the unix_dgram_recvmsg() function     may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1234     The ELF loader is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed binaries.

  - CVE-2005-0003     Crafted ELF binaries may lead to privilege escalation,     due to insufficient checking of overlapping memory     regions.

  - CVE-2004-1235     A race condition in the load_elf_library() and     binfmt_aout() functions may allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0504     An integer overflow in the Moxa driver may lead to     privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0384     A remote denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the PPP driver.

  - CVE-2005-0135     An IA64 specific local denial of service vulnerability     has been found in the unw_unwind_to_user() function.

The following matrix explains which kernel version for which architecture fixes the problems mentioned above :

                                Debian 3.1 (sarge)              Source                        2.4.17-1woody4                  HP Precision architecture     32.5                            Intel IA-64 architecture      011226.18                       IBM S/390 architecture/image  2.4.17-2.woody.5                IBM S/390 architecture/patch  0.0.20020816-0.woody.4          PowerPC architecture (apus)   2.4.17-6                        MIPS architecture             2.4.17-0.020226.2.woody7

Several local and remote vulnerabilities have been discovered in the Linux kernel that may lead to a denial of service or the execution of arbitrary code. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project identifies the following problems :

  - CVE-2004-0427     A local denial of service vulnerability in do_fork() has     been found.

  - CVE-2005-0489     A local denial of service vulnerability in proc memory     handling has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0394     A buffer overflow in the panic handling code has been     found.

  - CVE-2004-0447     A local denial of service vulnerability through a NULL     pointer dereference in the IA64 process handling code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0554     A local denial of service vulnerability through an     infinite loop in the signal handler code has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0565     An information leak in the context switch code has been     found on the IA64 architecture.

  - CVE-2004-0685     Unsafe use of copy_to_user in USB drivers may disclose     sensitive information.

  - CVE-2005-0001     A race condition in the i386 page fault handler may     allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-0883     Multiple vulnerabilities in the SMB filesystem code may     allow denial of service or information disclosure.

  - CVE-2004-0949     An information leak discovered in the SMB filesystem     code.

  - CVE-2004-1016     A local denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the SCM layer.

  - CVE-2004-1333     An integer overflow in the terminal code may allow a     local denial of service vulnerability.

  - CVE-2004-0997     A local privilege escalation in the MIPS assembly code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-1335     A memory leak in the ip_options_get() function may lead     to denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1017     Multiple overflows exist in the io_edgeport driver which     might be usable as a denial of service attack vector.

  - CVE-2005-0124     Bryan Fulton reported a bounds checking bug in the     coda_pioctl function which may allow local users to     execute arbitrary code or trigger a denial of service     attack.

  - CVE-2003-0984     Inproper initialization of the RTC may disclose     information.

  - CVE-2004-1070     Insufficient input sanitising in the load_elf_binary()     function may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1071     Incorrect error handling in the binfmt_elf loader may     lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1072     A buffer overflow in the binfmt_elf loader may lead to     privilege escalation or denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1073     The open_exec function may disclose information.

  - CVE-2004-1074     The binfmt code is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed a.out binaries.

  - CVE-2004-0138     A denial of service vulnerability in the ELF loader has     been found.

  - CVE-2004-1068     A programming error in the unix_dgram_recvmsg() function     may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1234     The ELF loader is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed binaries.

  - CVE-2005-0003     Crafted ELF binaries may lead to privilege escalation,     due to insufficient checking of overlapping memory     regions.

  - CVE-2004-1235     A race condition in the load_elf_library() and     binfmt_aout() functions may allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0504     An integer overflow in the Moxa driver may lead to     privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0384     A remote denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the PPP driver.

  - CVE-2005-0135     An IA64 specific local denial of service vulnerability     has been found in the unw_unwind_to_user() function.

The following matrix explains which kernel version for which architecture fixes the problems mentioned above :

                                   Debian 3.0 (woody)                 Source                           2.4.19-4                           Sun Sparc architecture           26woody1                           Little endian MIPS architecture  0.020911.1.woody5

Several local and remote vulnerabilities have been discovered in the Linux kernel that may lead to a denial of service or the execution of arbitrary code. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project identifies the following problems :

  - CVE-2004-0427     A local denial of service vulnerability in do_fork() has     been found.

  - CVE-2005-0489     A local denial of service vulnerability in proc memory     handling has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0394     A buffer overflow in the panic handling code has been     found.

  - CVE-2004-0447     A local denial of service vulnerability through a NULL     pointer dereference in the IA64 process handling code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0554     A local denial of service vulnerability through an     infinite loop in the signal handler code has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0565     An information leak in the context switch code has been     found on the IA64 architecture.

  - CVE-2004-0685     Unsafe use of copy_to_user in USB drivers may disclose     sensitive information.

  - CVE-2005-0001     A race condition in the i386 page fault handler may     allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-0883     Multiple vulnerabilities in the SMB filesystem code may     allow denial of service or information disclosure.

  - CVE-2004-0949     An information leak discovered in the SMB filesystem     code.

  - CVE-2004-1016     A local denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the SCM layer.

  - CVE-2004-1333     An integer overflow in the terminal code may allow a     local denial of service vulnerability.

  - CVE-2004-0997     A local privilege escalation in the MIPS assembly code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-1335     A memory leak in the ip_options_get() function may lead     to denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1017     Multiple overflows exist in the io_edgeport driver which     might be usable as a denial of service attack vector.

  - CVE-2005-0124     Bryan Fulton reported a bounds checking bug in the     coda_pioctl function which may allow local users to     execute arbitrary code or trigger a denial of service     attack.

  - CVE-2003-0984     Inproper initialization of the RTC may disclose     information.

  - CVE-2004-1070     Insufficient input sanitising in the load_elf_binary()     function may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1071     Incorrect error handling in the binfmt_elf loader may     lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1072     A buffer overflow in the binfmt_elf loader may lead to     privilege escalation or denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1073     The open_exec function may disclose information.

  - CVE-2004-1074     The binfmt code is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed a.out binaries.

  - CVE-2004-0138     A denial of service vulnerability in the ELF loader has     been found.

  - CVE-2004-1068     A programming error in the unix_dgram_recvmsg() function     may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1234     The ELF loader is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed binaries.

  - CVE-2005-0003     Crafted ELF binaries may lead to privilege escalation,     due to insufficient checking of overlapping memory     regions.

  - CVE-2004-1235     A race condition in the load_elf_library() and     binfmt_aout() functions may allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0504     An integer overflow in the Moxa driver may lead to     privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0384     A remote denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the PPP driver.

  - CVE-2005-0135     An IA64 specific local denial of service vulnerability     has been found in the unw_unwind_to_user() function.

The following matrix explains which kernel version for which architecture fixes the problems mentioned above :

                                   Debian 3.0 (woody)                 Source                           2.4.18-14.4                        Alpha architecture               2.4.18-15woody1                    Intel IA-32 architecture         2.4.18-13.2                        HP Precision architecture        62.4                               PowerPC architecture             2.4.18-1woody6                     PowerPC architecture/XFS         20020329woody1                     PowerPC architecture/benh        20020304woody1                     Sun Sparc architecture           22woody1

Several local and remote vulnerabilities have been discovered in the Linux kernel that may lead to a denial of service or the execution of arbitrary code. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project identifies the following problems :

  - CVE-2004-0427     A local denial of service vulnerability in do_fork() has     been found.

  - CVE-2005-0489     A local denial of service vulnerability in proc memory     handling has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0394     A buffer overflow in the panic handling code has been     found.

  - CVE-2004-0447     A local denial of service vulnerability through a NULL     pointer dereference in the IA64 process handling code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0554     A local denial of service vulnerability through an     infinite loop in the signal handler code has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0565     An information leak in the context switch code has been     found on the IA64 architecture.

  - CVE-2004-0685     Unsafe use of copy_to_user in USB drivers may disclose     sensitive information.

  - CVE-2005-0001     A race condition in the i386 page fault handler may     allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-0883     Multiple vulnerabilities in the SMB filesystem code may     allow denial of service or information disclosure.

  - CVE-2004-0949     An information leak discovered in the SMB filesystem     code.

  - CVE-2004-1016     A local denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the SCM layer.

  - CVE-2004-1333     An integer overflow in the terminal code may allow a     local denial of service vulnerability.

  - CVE-2004-0997     A local privilege escalation in the MIPS assembly code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-1335     A memory leak in the ip_options_get() function may lead     to denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1017     Multiple overflows exist in the io_edgeport driver which     might be usable as a denial of service attack vector.

  - CVE-2005-0124     Bryan Fulton reported a bounds checking bug in the     coda_pioctl function which may allow local users to     execute arbitrary code or trigger a denial of service     attack.

  - CVE-2003-0984     Inproper initialization of the RTC may disclose     information.

  - CVE-2004-1070     Insufficient input sanitising in the load_elf_binary()     function may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1071     Incorrect error handling in the binfmt_elf loader may     lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1072     A buffer overflow in the binfmt_elf loader may lead to     privilege escalation or denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1073     The open_exec function may disclose information.

  - CVE-2004-1074     The binfmt code is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed a.out binaries.

  - CVE-2004-0138     A denial of service vulnerability in the ELF loader has     been found.

  - CVE-2004-1068     A programming error in the unix_dgram_recvmsg() function     may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1234     The ELF loader is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed binaries.

  - CVE-2005-0003     Crafted ELF binaries may lead to privilege escalation,     due to insufficient checking of overlapping memory     regions.

  - CVE-2004-1235     A race condition in the load_elf_library() and     binfmt_aout() functions may allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0504     An integer overflow in the Moxa driver may lead to     privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0384     A remote denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the PPP driver.

  - CVE-2005-0135     An IA64 specific local denial of service vulnerability     has been found in the unw_unwind_to_user() function.

The following matrix explains which kernel version for which architecture fixes the problems mentioned above :

                               Debian 3.0 (woody)             Source                       2.4.16-1woody2                 arm/lart                     20040419woody1                 arm/netwinder                20040419woody1                 arm/riscpc                   20040419woody1

Updated kernel packages are now available as part of ongoing support and maintenance of Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 3. This is the sixth regular update.

This security advisory has been rated as having important security impact by the Red Hat Security Response Team.

The Linux kernel handles the basic functions of the operating system.

This is the sixth regular kernel update to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.

New features introduced by this update include :

  - diskdump support on HP Smart Array devices -     netconsole/netdump support over bonded interfaces - new     chipset and device support via PCI table updates -     support for new 'oom-kill' and 'kscand_work_percent'     sysctls - support for dual core processors and ACPI     Power Management timers on AMD64 and Intel EM64T systems

There were many bug fixes in various parts of the kernel. The ongoing effort to resolve these problems has resulted in a marked improvement in the reliability and scalability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.

There were numerous driver updates and security fixes (elaborated below). Other key areas affected by fixes in this update include kswapd, inode handling, the SATA subsystem, diskdump handling, ptrace() syscall support, and signal handling.

The following device drivers have been upgraded to new versions :

3w-9xxx ---- 2.24.03.008RH cciss ------ 2.4.58.RH1 e100 ------- 3.4.8-k2 e1000 ------ 6.0.54-k2 emulex ----- 7.3.2 fusion ----- 2.06.16i.01 iscsi ------ 3.6.2.1 ipmi ------- 35.4 lpfcdfc ---- 1.2.1 qlogic ----- 7.05.00-RH1 tg3 -------- 3.27RH

The following security bugs were fixed in this update :

  - a flaw in syscall argument checking on Itanium systems     that allowed a local user to cause a denial of service     (crash) (CVE-2005-0136)

  - a flaw in stack expansion that allowed a local user of     mlockall() to cause a denial of service (memory     exhaustion) (CVE-2005-0179)

  - a small memory leak in network packet defragmenting that     allowed a remote user to cause a denial of service     (memory exhaustion) on systems using netfilter     (CVE-2005-0210)

  - flaws in ptrace() syscall handling on AMD64 and Intel     EM64T systems that allowed a local user to cause a     denial of service (crash) (CVE-2005-0756, CVE-2005-1762,     CVE-2005-2553)

  - flaws in ISO-9660 file system handling that allowed the     mounting of an invalid image on a CD-ROM to cause a     denial of service (crash) or potentially execute     arbitrary code (CVE-2005-0815)

  - a flaw in ptrace() syscall handling on Itanium systems     that allowed a local user to cause a denial of service     (crash) (CVE-2005-1761)

  - a flaw in the alternate stack switching on AMD64 and     Intel EM64T systems that allowed a local user to cause a     denial of service (crash) (CVE-2005-1767)

  - race conditions in the ia32-compat support for exec()     syscalls on AMD64, Intel EM64T, and Itanium systems that     could allow a local user to cause a denial of service     (crash) (CVE-2005-1768)

  - flaws in IPSEC network handling that allowed a local     user to cause a denial of service or potentially gain     privileges (CVE-2005-2456, CVE-2005-2555)

  - a flaw in sendmsg() syscall handling on 64-bit systems     that allowed a local user to cause a denial of service     or potentially gain privileges (CVE-2005-2490)

  - flaws in unsupported modules that allowed     denial-of-service attacks (crashes) or local privilege     escalations on systems using the drm, coda, or moxa     modules (CVE-2004-1056, CVE-2005-0124, CVE-2005-0504)

  - potential leaks of kernel data from jfs and ext2 file     system handling (CVE-2004-0181, CVE-2005-0400)

Note: The kernel-unsupported package contains various drivers and modules that are unsupported and therefore might contain security problems that have not been addressed.

All Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 users are advised to upgrade their kernels to the packages associated with their machine architectures and configurations as listed in this erratum.

Updated kernel packages that fix a number of security issues as well as other bugs are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 (32 bit architectures)

This update has been rated as having important security impact by the Red Hat Security Response Team.

The Linux kernel handles the basic functions of the operating system.

This is a kernel maintenance update to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1.

The following security issues were corrected :

A flaw between execve() syscall handling and core dumping of ELF-format executables allowed local unprivileged users to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly gain privileges. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project has assigned the name CVE-2005-1263 to this issue.

A flaw when freeing a pointer in load_elf_library was discovered. A local user could potentially use this flaw to cause a denial of service (crash). (CVE-2005-0749)

The Direct Rendering Manager (DRM) driver did not properly check the DMA lock, which could allow remote attackers or local users to cause a denial of service (X Server crash) or possibly modify the video output. (CVE-2004-1056)

A flaw in the moxa serial driver could allow a local user to perform privileged operations such as replacing the firmware. (CVE-2005-0504)

The following bug fixes were also made :

  - Fix a race condition that can cause a panic in
    __get_lease() - Fix a race condition that can cause a     panic when reading /proc/mdstat - Fix incorrect ide     accounting - Prevent non-root users from reloading moxa     driver firmware - Fix a NULL pointer dereference bug in     rpciod - Fix legacy-usb handoff for certain IBM     platforms - Fix a bug that caused busy inodes after     unmount - Provide an additional fix for a memory leak in     scsi_scan_single. - Fix a potential kswapd/dquot     deadlock. - Fix a potential local DoS in shmemfs. - Fix     a random poolsize vulnerability.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 users are advised to upgrade their kernels to the packages associated with their machine configurations as listed in this erratum.

The remote host is missing the patch for the advisory SUSE-SA:2005:018 (kernel).


The Linux kernel is the core component of the Linux system.

Several vulnerabilities were reported in the last few weeks which are fixed by this update.

The remote CentOS system is missing a security update which has been documented in Red Hat advisory RHSA-2008-0237.

The remote CentOS system is missing a security update which has been documented in Red Hat advisory RHSA-2005-663.

ID	Name	Product	Family	Severity
67685	Oracle Linux 4 : kernel (ELSA-2008-0237)	Nessus	Oracle Linux Local Security Checks	high
60394	Scientific Linux Security Update : kernel on SL4.x i386/x86_64	Nessus	Scientific Linux Local Security Checks	high
43682	CentOS 4 : kernel (CESA-2008:0237)	Nessus	CentOS Local Security Checks	high
32162	RHEL 4 : kernel (RHSA-2008:0237)	Nessus	Red Hat Local Security Checks	high
28112	Ubuntu 6.06 LTS : linux-source-2.6.15 vulnerabilities (USN-508-1)	Nessus	Ubuntu Local Security Checks	high
22624	Debian DSA-1082-1 : kernel-source-2.4.17 - several vulnerabilities	Nessus	Debian Local Security Checks	critical
22612	Debian DSA-1070-1 : kernel-source-2.4.19 - several vulnerabilities	Nessus	Debian Local Security Checks	critical
22611	Debian DSA-1069-1 : kernel-source-2.4.18 - several vulnerabilities	Nessus	Debian Local Security Checks	critical
22609	Debian DSA-1067-1 : kernel-source-2.4.16 - several vulnerabilities	Nessus	Debian Local Security Checks	critical
21849	CentOS 3 : kernel (CESA-2005:663)	Nessus	CentOS Local Security Checks	medium
19832	RHEL 3 : kernel (RHSA-2005:663)	Nessus	Red Hat Local Security Checks	medium
19543	RHEL 2.1 : kernel (RHSA-2005:529)	Nessus	Red Hat Local Security Checks	high
17617	SUSE-SA:2005:018: kernel	Nessus	SuSE Local Security Checks	high
801451	CentOS RHSA-2008-0237 Security Check	Log Correlation Engine	Generic	high
801410	CentOS RHSA-2005-663 Security Check	Log Correlation Engine	Generic	high

Detections

Analytics

CVE-2005-0504

critical

Tenable Plugins

high

high

high

high

high

critical

critical

critical

critical

medium

medium

high

high

high

high