The sysfs_readdir function in the Linux kernel 2.6, as used in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 4.5 and other distributions, allows users to cause a denial of service (kernel OOPS) by dereferencing a null pointer to an inode in a dentry.

The remote OracleVM system is missing necessary patches to address critical security updates :

  - fix utrace dead_engine ops race

  - fix ptrace_attach leak

  - CVE-2007-5093: kernel PWC driver DoS

  - CVE-2007-6282: IPSec ESP kernel panics

  - CVE-2007-6712: kernel: infinite loop in highres timers     (kernel hang)

  - CVE-2008-1615: kernel: ptrace: Unprivileged crash on     x86_64 %cs corruption

  - CVE-2008-1294: kernel: setrlimit(RLIMIT_CPUINFO) with     zero value doesn't inherit properly across children

  - CVE-2008-2136: kernel: sit memory leak

  - CVE-2008-2812: kernel: NULL ptr dereference in multiple     network drivers due to missing checks in tty code

  - restore     linux-2.6-x86-clear-df-flag-for-signal-handlers.patch

  - restore linux-2.6-utrace.patch /     linux-2.6-xen-utrace.patch

  - Kernel security erratas for OVM 2.1.2 from bz#5932 :

  - CVE-2007-6063: isdn: fix possible isdn_net buffer     overflows

  - CVE-2007-3104 Null pointer to an inode in a dentry can     cause an oops in sysfs_readdir

  - CVE-2008-0598: write system call vulnerability

  - CVE-2008-1375: kernel: race condition in dnotify

  - CVE-2008-0001: kernel: filesystem corruption by     unprivileged user via directory truncation

  - CVE-2008-2358: dccp: sanity check feature length

  - CVE-2007-5938: NULL dereference in iwl driver

  - RHSA-2008:0508: kernel: [x86_64] The string instruction     version didn't zero the output on exception.

  - kernel: clear df flag for signal handlers

  - fs: missing dput in do_lookup error leaks dentries

  - sysfs: fix condition check in sysfs_drop_dentry

  - sysfs: fix race condition around sd->s_dentry

  - ieee80211: off-by-two integer underflow

The remote Oracle Linux 5 host has packages installed that are affected by multiple vulnerabilities as referenced in the ELSA-2008-0089 advisory.

    [2.6.18-53.1.6.0.1.el5]
     - [NET] Add entropy support to e1000 and bnx2 (John Sobecki) [ORA 6045759]
     - [NET] Fix msi issue with kexec/kdump (Michael Chan) [ORA 6219364]
     - [MM] Fix alloc_pages_node() static `nid\' race made kernel crash (Joe      Jin) [ORA 6187457]
     - [splice] Fix bad unlock_page() in error case  (Jens Axboe) [ORA 6263574]
     - [dio] fix error-path crashes (Linux Torvalds) [ORA 6242289]
     - [MM] Fix leak in hugepages, regression for shared pagetables patch      (Adam Litke) [ORABUG 6732368]

     [2.6.18-53.1.6.el5]
     - [fs] corruption by unprivileged user in directories (Vitaly Mayatskikh      ) [428796] {CVE-2008-0001}

     [2.6.18-53.1.5.el5]
     - [ia64] ptrace: access to user register backing (Roland McGrath ) [259801]
     - [fs] cifs: buffer overflow due to corrupt response (Jeff Layton ) [372991]
     - [net] s2io: correct VLAN frame reception (Andy Gospodarek ) [426289]
     - [net] s2io: allow VLAN creation on interfaces (Andy Gospodarek ) [426289]
     - [misc] tux: get rid of O_ATOMICLOOKUP (Michal Schmidt ) [426494]
     - [x86_64] fix race conditions in setup_APIC_timer (Geoff Gustafson )      [424181]
     - [fs] core dump file ownership (Don Howard ) [396991]
     - [nfs] let rpciod finish sillyrename then umount (Steve Dickson ) [414041]
     - [nfs] fix a race in silly rename (Steve Dickson ) [414041]
     - [nfs] clean up the silly rename code (Steve Dickson ) [414041]
     - [nfs] infrastructure changes for silly renames (Steve Dickson ) [414041]
     - [nfs] introduce nfs_removeargs and nfs_removeres (Steve Dickson ) [414041]
     - [ia64] remove stack hard limit (Aron Griffis ) [412091]
     - [fs] sysfs: fix race condition around sd->s_dentry (Eric Sandeen )      [245777] {CVE-2007-3104}
     - [fs] sysfs: fix condition check in sysfs_drop_dentry() (Eric Sandeen )      [245777] {CVE-2007-3104}
     - [fs] sysfs: store inode nrs in s_ino (Eric Sandeen ) [245777]      {CVE-2007-3104}
     - [xen] ia64: vulnerability of copy_to_user in PAL emu (Jarod Wilson )      [425938]

Tenable has extracted the preceding description block directly from the Oracle Linux security advisory.

Note that Nessus has not tested for these issues but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version number.

From Red Hat Security Advisory 2007:0488 :

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

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.

These new kernel packages contain fixes for the security issues described below :

* a flaw in the connection tracking support for SCTP that allowed a remote user to cause a denial of service by dereferencing a NULL pointer. (CVE-2007-2876, Important)

* a flaw in the mount handling routine for 64-bit systems that allowed a local user to cause denial of service (crash). (CVE-2006-7203, Important)

* a flaw in the IPv4 forwarding base that allowed a local user to cause an out-of-bounds access. (CVE-2007-2172, Important)

* a flaw in the PPP over Ethernet implementation that allowed a local user to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) by creating a socket using connect and then releasing it before the PPPIOCGCHAN ioctl has been called. (CVE-2007-2525, Important)

* a flaw in the fput ioctl handling of 32-bit applications running on 64-bit platforms that allowed a local user to cause a denial of service (panic). (CVE-2007-0773, Important)

* a flaw in the NFS locking daemon that allowed a local user to cause denial of service (deadlock). (CVE-2006-5158, Moderate)

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

* a flaw in the core-dump handling that allowed a local user to create core dumps from unreadable binaries via PT_INTERP. (CVE-2007-0958, Low)

* a flaw in the Bluetooth subsystem that allowed a local user to trigger an information leak. (CVE-2007-1353, Low)

In addition, the following bugs were addressed :

* the NFS could recurse on the same spinlock. Also, NFS, under certain conditions, did not completely clean up Posix locks on a file close, leading to mount failures.

* the 32bit compatibility didn't return to userspace correct values for the rt_sigtimedwait system call.

* the count for unused inodes could be incorrect at times, resulting in dirty data not being written to disk in a timely manner.

* the cciss driver had an incorrect disk size calculation (off-by-one error) which prevented disk dumps.

Red Hat would like to thank Ilja van Sprundel and the OpenVZ Linux kernel team for reporting issues fixed in this erratum.

All Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 users are advised to upgrade their kernels to the packages associated with their machine architectures and configurations as listed in this erratum.

These new kernel packages fix the following security issues :

A flaw was found in the virtual filesystem (VFS). An unprivileged local user could truncate directories to which they had write permission; this could render the contents of the directory inaccessible. (CVE-2008-0001, Important)

A flaw was found in the Xen PAL emulation on Intel 64 platforms. A guest Hardware-assisted virtual machine (HVM) could read the arbitrary physical memory of the host system, which could make information available to unauthorized users. (CVE-2007-6416, Important)

A flaw was found in the way core dump files were created. If a local user can get a root-owned process to dump a core file into a directory, which the user has write access to, they could gain read access to that core file, potentially containing sensitive information. (CVE-2007-6206, Moderate)

A buffer overflow flaw was found in the CIFS virtual file system. A remote,authenticated user could issue a request that could lead to a denial of service. (CVE-2007-5904, Moderate)

A flaw was found in the 'sysfs_readdir' function. A local user could create a race condition which would cause a denial of service (kernel oops). (CVE-2007-3104, Moderate)

As well, these updated packages fix the following bugs :

  - running the 'strace -f' command caused strace to hang,     without displaying information about child processes.

  - unmounting an unresponsive, interruptable NFS mount, for     example, one mounted with the 'intr' option, may have     caused a system crash.

  - a bug in the s2io.ko driver prevented VLAN devices from     being added. Attempting to add a device to a VLAN, for     example, running the 'vconfig add [device-name]     [vlan-id]' command caused vconfig to fail.

  - tux used an incorrect open flag bit. This caused     problems when building packages in a chroot environment,     such as mock, which is used by the koji build system.

These new kernel packages contain fixes for the security issues described below :

  - a flaw in the connection tracking support for SCTP that     allowed a remote user to cause a denial of service by     dereferencing a NULL pointer. (CVE-2007-2876, Important)

  - a flaw in the mount handling routine for 64-bit systems     that allowed a local user to cause denial of service     (crash). (CVE-2006-7203, Important)

  - a flaw in the IPv4 forwarding base that allowed a local     user to cause an out-of-bounds access. (CVE-2007-2172,     Important)

  - a flaw in the PPP over Ethernet implementation that     allowed a local user to cause a denial of service     (memory consumption) by creating a socket using connect     and then releasing it before the PPPIOCGCHAN ioctl has     been called. (CVE-2007-2525, Important)

  - a flaw in the fput ioctl handling of 32-bit applications     running on 64-bit platforms that allowed a local user to     cause a denial of service (panic). (CVE-2007-0773,     Important)

  - a flaw in the NFS locking daemon that allowed a local     user to cause denial of service (deadlock).
    (CVE-2006-5158, Moderate)

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

  - a flaw in the core-dump handling that allowed a local     user to create core dumps from unreadable binaries via     PT_INTERP. (CVE-2007-0958, Low)

  - a flaw in the Bluetooth subsystem that allowed a local     user to trigger an information leak. (CVE-2007-1353,     Low)

In addition, the following bugs were addressed :

  - the NFS could recurse on the same spinlock. Also, NFS,     under certain conditions, did not completely clean up     Posix locks on a file close, leading to mount failures.

  - the 32bit compatibility didn't return to userspace     correct values for the rt_sigtimedwait system call.

  - the count for unused inodes could be incorrect at times,     resulting in dirty data not being written to disk in a     timely manner.

  - the cciss driver had an incorrect disk size calculation     (off-by-one error) which prevented disk dumps.

NOTE1: From The Upstream Vendors release notes 'During PCI probing, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 5 attempts to use information obtained from MCFG (memory-mapped PCI configuration space). On AMD-systems, this type of access does not work on some buses, as the kernel cannot parse the MCFG table.

To work around this, add the parameter pci=conf1 or pci=nommconf on the kernel boot line in /etc/grub.conf. For example :

title Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS (2.6.9-42.0.2.EL) root (hd0,0) kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-42.0.2.EL ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet pci=conf1 initrd /initrd-2.6.9-42.0.2.EL.img

Doing this instructs the kernel to use PCI Conf1 access instead of MCFG-based access.'

NOTE2: From The Upstream Vendors Knowledge Base 'Why did the ordering of my NIC devices change in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.5?

The 2.6.9-55 version of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 kernel (Update 5) reverts to the 2.4 ordering of network interface cards (NICs) on certain systems. Note that if the 'HWADDR=MAC ADDRESS' line is present in the /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-ethX files, the NIC ordering will not change.

To restore the original 2.6 ordering, which is different from the 2.4 ordering, boot with the option pci=nobfsort '

This kernel update fixes the following security problems :

  - The sysfs_readdir function in the Linux kernel 2.6     allows local users to cause a denial of service (kernel     OOPS) by dereferencing a NULL pointer to an inode in a     dentry. (CVE-2007-3104)

  - A 2 byte buffer underflow in the ieee80211 stack was     fixed, which might be used by attackers in the local     WLAN reach to crash the machine. (CVE-2007-4997)

  - The CIFS filesystem, when Unix extension support is     enabled, did not honor the umask of a process, which     allowed local users to gain privileges. (CVE-2007-3740)

  - It was possible for local user to become root by     exploiting a bug in the IA32 system call emulation. This     problem affects the x86_64 platform only, on all     distributions. (CVE-2007-4573)

    This problem was fixed for regular kernels, but had not     been fixed for the XEN kernels. This update fixes the     problem also for the XEN kernels.

  - The (1) aac_cfg_open and (2) aac_compat_ioctl functions     in the SCSI layer ioctl path in aacraid did not check     permissions for ioctls, which might have allowed local     users to cause a denial of service or gain privileges.
    (CVE-2007-4308)

  - The Linux kernel checked the wrong global variable for     the CIFS sec mount option, which might allow remote     attackers to spoof CIFS network traffic that the client     configured for security signatures, as demonstrated by     lack of signing despite sec=ntlmv2i in a SetupAndX     request. (CVE-2007-3843)

  - Multiple buffer overflows in CIFS VFS in the Linux     kernel allowed remote attackers to cause a denial of     service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via     long SMB responses that trigger the overflows in the     SendReceive function. (CVE-2007-5904)

    This requires the attacker to mis-present / replace a     CIFS server the client machine is connected to.

  - Buffer overflow in the isdn_net_setcfg function in     isdn_net.c in the Linux kernel allowed local users to     have an unknown impact via a crafted argument to the     isdn_ioctl function. (CVE-2007-6063)

and the following non security bugs :

-

patches.drivers/pci-delete-ACPI-hook-from-pci_set_power_stat e.patch:
Delete ACPI hook from pci_set_power_state() [#162320] Still execute the code on Lenovo ThinkPads (or USB ports do not work anymore after suspend [#329232]

  - patches.drivers/alsa-post-sp1-hda-probe-blacklist:
    [ALSA] hda-intel - Add probe_mask blacklist [#172330]

  - patches.drivers/alsa-post-sp1-hda-robust-probe: [ALSA]     hda-intel - Improve HD-audio codec probing robustness     [#172330]

  - patches.arch/i386-hpet-lost-interrupts-fix.patch:
    Backport i386 hpet lost interrupts code [#257035]

  - patches.fixes/megaraid_mbox-dell-cerc-support: Dell CERC     support for megaraid_mbox [#267134]

  - patches.fixes/nfsv4-MAXNAME-fix.diff: knfsd: query     filesystem for NFSv4 getattr of FATTR4_MAXNAME [#271803]
    -

patches.drivers/ide-amd74xx-add-ignore_enablebits-parameter: amd74xx:
add ignore_enable_bits module parameter [#272786]

  - patches.fixes/legacy-pty-count-kernel-parm.patch: Add a     kernel boot parameter to overwrite the legacy PTY count.
    The default value of 64 is insufficient occasionally     [#277846]

  - patches.fixes/lockd-grant-shutdown: Stop GRANT callback     from crashing if NFS server has been stopped. [#292478]

  - Kernel update to 2.6.16.54 [#298719] including (among     others) :

  - lots of md fixes

  - fix of sparc bugs

  - fix of TCP handling of SACK in bidirectional flows

  - fix of MCA bus matching

  - fix of PPC issues :

  - Fix osize too small errors when decoding mppe.

  - Fix output buffer size in ppp_decompress_frame(). -

patches.fixes/assign-task_struct.exit_code-before-taskstats_ exit.patch: Assign task_struct.exit_code before taskstats_exit() [#307504]

  - patches.fixes/bonding_no_addrconf_for_bond_slaves:
    bonding / ipv6: no addrconf for slaves separately from     master. [#310254]

  - patches.fixes/bonding_support_carrier_state_for_master:
    bonding: support carrier state for master [#310254] -

patches.fixes/fix-sys-devices-system-node-node0-meminfo-from

-having-anonpages-wrapped.patch: fix /sys/devices/system/node/node0/meminfo from having anonpages wrapped [#310744] -

patches.fixes/nfs-remove-bogus-cache-change-attribute-check. diff fix bogus cache change to make data available immediately, on direct write [#325877] -

patches.fixes/tcp-send-ACKs-each-2nd-received-segment.patch: Send ACKs each 2nd received segment. This fixes a problem where the tcp cubic congestion algorithm was too slow in converging [#327848]

  - patches.drivers/libata-fix-spindown: libata: fix disk     spindown on shutdown [#330722]

  - patches.fixes/scsi-reset-resid: busy status on tape     write results in incorrect residual [#330926]

  - patches.fixes/condense-output-of-show_free_areas.patch:
    Condense output of show_free_areas() [#331251]

  - patches.arch/powernowk8_family_freq_from_fiddid.patch:
    To find the frequency given the fid and did is family     dependent. [#332722]

  - patches.fixes/tcp-saner-thash_entries-default.patch:
    Limit the size of the TCP established hash to 512k     entries by default [#333273]

  - patches.drivers/alsa-emu10k1-spdif-mem-fix: [ALSA]     emu10k1 - Fix memory corruption [#333314]

  - patches.drivers/alsa-post-sp1-hda-stac-error-fix: [ALSA]     Fix error probing with STAC codecs [#333320] -

    patches.fixes/qla2xxx-avoid-duplicate-pci_disable_device     : Fixup patch to not refer to stale pointer [#333542]

  - large backport of dm-crypt fixes: [#333905]

  - patches.fixes/dm-disable_barriers.diff: dm: disable     barriers. -

patches.fixes/dm-crypt-restructure_for_workqueue_change.diff -

patches.fixes/dm-crypt-restructure_write_processing.diff

  - patches.fixes/dm-crypt-move_io_to_workqueue.diff

  - patches.fixes/dm-crypt-use_private_biosets.diff

  - patches.fixes/dm-crypt-fix_call_to_clone_init.diff -

patches.fixes/dm-crypt-fix_avoid_cloned_bio_ref_after_free.d iff

  - patches.fixes/dm-crypt-fix_remove_first_clone.diff -

patches.fixes/dm-crypt-use_smaller_bvecs_in_clones.diff -

patches.fixes/dm-crypt-fix_panic_on_large_request.diff

  - patches.fixes/initramfs-fix-cpio-hardlink-check.patch:
    initramfs: fix CPIO hardlink check [#334612]

  - patches.drivers/lpfc-8.1.10.12-update: driver update to     fix severe issues in lpfc 8.1.10.9 driver [#334630]     [#342044]

  - patches.fixes/nfs-direct-io-fix-1: NFS: Fix error     handling in nfs_direct_write_result() [#336200]

  - patches.fixes/nfs-direct-io-fix-2: NFS: Fix a refcount     leakage in O_DIRECT [#336200]

  - add patches.drivers/ibmvscsi-migration-login.patch     prohibit IO during adapter login process [#337980]

  - patches.arch/acpi_thinkpad_brightness_fix.patch: Take     care of latest Lenovo ThinkPad brightness control     [#338274] [#343660]

  - patches.fixes/ramdisk-2.6.23-corruption_fix.diff: rd:
    fix data corruption on memory pressure [#338643] -

    patches.fixes/fc_transport-remove-targets-on-host-remove     : memory use after free error in mptfc [#338730] -

patches.fixes/ipmi-ipmi_msghandler.c-fix-a-memory-leak.patch : IPMI:
ipmi_msghandler.c: fix a memory leak [#339413]

  - add patches.arch/ppc-pseries-rtas_ibm_suspend_me.patch     fix multiple bugs in rtas_ibm_suspend_me code [#339927]

  - patches.fixes/nfsacl-retval.diff: knfsd: fix spurious     EINVAL errors on first access of new filesystem     [#340873]

  - patches.fixes/avm-fix-capilib-locking: [ISDN] Fix random     hard freeze with AVM cards. [#341894]

  - patches.fixes/ipv6_rh_processing_fix: [IPV6]: Restore     semantics of Routing Header processing [#343100]

  - The following set of XEN fixes has been applied:
    [#343612]

  - patches.xen/14280-net-fake-carrier-flag.patch: netfront:
    Better fix for netfront_tx_slot_available().

  - patches.xen/14893-copy-more-skbs.patch: netback: Copy     skbuffs that are presented to the start_xmit() function.

  - patches.xen/157-netfront-skb-deref.patch: net front:
    Avoid deref'ing skb after it is potentially freed.

  - patches.xen/263-xfs-unmap.patch: xfs: eagerly remove     vmap mappings to avoid upsetting Xen.

  - patches.xen/xen-i386-set-fixmap: i386/PAE: avoid     temporarily inconsistent pte-s.

  - patches.xen/xen-isa-dma: Suppress all use of ISA DMA on     Xen.

  - patches.xen/xen-x86-panic-smp,

  - patches.xen/xen-netback-alloc,

  - patches.xen/xen-split-pt-lock,

  - patches.xen/137-netfront-copy-release.patch,

  - patches.xen/141-driver-autoload.patch,

  - patches.xen/xen-balloon-max-target,

  - patches.xen/xen-balloon-min,

  - patches.xen/xen-i386-highpte,

  - patches.xen/xen-intel-agp,

  - patches.xen/xen-multicall-check,

  - patches.xen/xen-x86-dcr-fallback,

  - patches.xen/xen-x86-pXX_val,

  - patches.xen/xen-x86-performance: Adjust.

  - patches.arch/acpi_backport_video.c.patch: Backport video     driver from 2.6.23-rc9 [#343660]

  - patches.arch/acpi_find_bcl_support.patch: Store     brightness/video functionality of ACPI provided by BIOS     [#343660]

Updated kernel packages that fix several security issues and several bugs in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 kernel are now available.

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 new kernel packages fix the following security issues :

A flaw was found in the virtual filesystem (VFS). An unprivileged local user could truncate directories to which they had write permission; this could render the contents of the directory inaccessible. (CVE-2008-0001, Important)

A flaw was found in the Xen PAL emulation on Intel 64 platforms. A guest Hardware-assisted virtual machine (HVM) could read the arbitrary physical memory of the host system, which could make information available to unauthorized users. (CVE-2007-6416, Important)

A flaw was found in the way core dump files were created. If a local user can get a root-owned process to dump a core file into a directory, which the user has write access to, they could gain read access to that core file, potentially containing sensitive information. (CVE-2007-6206, Moderate)

A buffer overflow flaw was found in the CIFS virtual file system. A remote,authenticated user could issue a request that could lead to a denial of service. (CVE-2007-5904, Moderate)

A flaw was found in the 'sysfs_readdir' function. A local user could create a race condition which would cause a denial of service (kernel oops). (CVE-2007-3104, Moderate)

As well, these updated packages fix the following bugs :

* running the 'strace -f' command caused strace to hang, without displaying information about child processes.

* unmounting an unresponsive, interruptable NFS mount, for example, one mounted with the 'intr' option, may have caused a system crash.

* a bug in the s2io.ko driver prevented VLAN devices from being added.
Attempting to add a device to a VLAN, for example, running the 'vconfig add [device-name] [vlan-id]' command caused vconfig to fail.

* tux used an incorrect open flag bit. This caused problems when building packages in a chroot environment, such as mock, which is used by the koji build system.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 users are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backported patches to resolve these issues.

The remote Redhat Enterprise Linux 5 host has packages installed that are affected by multiple vulnerabilities as referenced in the RHSA-2008:0089 advisory.

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

    These new kernel packages fix the following security issues:

    A flaw was found in the virtual filesystem (VFS). An unprivileged local     user could truncate directories to which they had write permission; this     could render the contents of the directory inaccessible. (CVE-2008-0001,     Important)

    A flaw was found in the Xen PAL emulation on Intel 64 platforms. A guest     Hardware-assisted virtual machine (HVM) could read the arbitrary physical     memory of the host system, which could make information available to     unauthorized users. (CVE-2007-6416, Important)

    A flaw was found in the way core dump files were created. If a local user     can get a root-owned process to dump a core file into a directory, which     the user has write access to, they could gain read access to that core     file, potentially containing sensitive information. (CVE-2007-6206, Moderate)

    A buffer overflow flaw was found in the CIFS virtual file system. A     remote,authenticated user could issue a request that could lead to a denial     of service. (CVE-2007-5904, Moderate)

    A flaw was found in the sysfs_readdir function. A local user could create     a race condition which would cause a denial of service (kernel oops).
    (CVE-2007-3104, Moderate)

    As well, these updated packages fix the following bugs:

    * running the strace -f command caused strace to hang, without displaying     information about child processes.

    * unmounting an unresponsive, interruptable NFS mount, for example, one     mounted with the intr option, may have caused a system crash.

    * a bug in the s2io.ko driver prevented VLAN devices from being added.
    Attempting to add a device to a VLAN, for example, running the vconfig     add [device-name] [vlan-id] command caused vconfig to fail.

    * tux used an incorrect open flag bit. This caused problems when building     packages in a chroot environment, such as mock, which is used by the koji     build system.

    Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 users are advised to upgrade to these updated     packages, which contain backported patches to resolve these issues.

Tenable has extracted the preceding description block directly from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux security advisory.

Note that Nessus has not tested for these issues but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version number.

This kernel update fixes the following security problems :

++ CVE-2007-3104: The sysfs_readdir function in the Linux kernel 2.6 allows local users to cause a denial of service (kernel OOPS) by dereferencing a NULL pointer to an inode in a dentry.

++ CVE-2007-4997: A 2 byte buffer underflow in the ieee80211 stack was fixed, which might be used by attackers in the local WLAN reach to crash the machine.

++ CVE-2007-3740: The CIFS filesystem, when Unix extension support is enabled, did not honor the umask of a process, which allowed local users to gain privileges.

++ CVE-2007-4573: It was possible for local user to become root by exploiting a bug in the IA32 system call emulation. This problem affects the x86_64 platform only, on all distributions.

This problem was fixed for regular kernels, but had not been fixed for the XEN kernels. This update fixes the problem also for the XEN kernels.

++ CVE-2007-4308: The (1) aac_cfg_open and (2) aac_compat_ioctl functions in the SCSI layer ioctl path in aacraid did not check permissions for ioctls, which might have allowed local users to cause a denial of service or gain privileges.

++ CVE-2007-3843: The Linux kernel checked the wrong global variable for the CIFS sec mount option, which might allow remote attackers to spoof CIFS network traffic that the client configured for security signatures, as demonstrated by lack of signing despite sec=ntlmv2i in a SetupAndX request.

++ CVE-2007-5904: Multiple buffer overflows in CIFS VFS in the Linux kernel allowed remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via long SMB responses that trigger the overflows in the SendReceive function.

This requires the attacker to mis-present / replace a CIFS server the client machine is connected to.

++ CVE-2007-6063: Buffer overflow in the isdn_net_setcfg function in isdn_net.c in the Linux kernel allowed local users to have an unknown impact via a crafted argument to the isdn_ioctl function.

Furthermore, this kernel catches up to the SLE 10 state of the kernel, with numerous additional fixes.

This kernel update fixes the following security problems :

  - The sysfs_readdir function in the Linux kernel 2.6     allows local users to cause a denial of service (kernel     OOPS) by dereferencing a NULL pointer to an inode in a     dentry. (CVE-2007-3104)

  - A 2 byte buffer underflow in the ieee80211 stack was     fixed, which might be used by attackers in the local     WLAN reach to crash the machine. (CVE-2007-4997)

  - The CIFS filesystem, when Unix extension support is     enabled, did not honor the umask of a process, which     allowed local users to gain privileges. (CVE-2007-3740)

  - It was possible for local user to become root by     exploiting a bug in the IA32 system call emulation. This     problem affects the x86_64 platform only, on all     distributions. (CVE-2007-4573)

    This problem was fixed for regular kernels, but had not     been fixed for the XEN kernels. This update fixes the     problem also for the XEN kernels.

  - The (1) aac_cfg_open and (2) aac_compat_ioctl functions     in the SCSI layer ioctl path in aacraid did not check     permissions for ioctls, which might have allowed local     users to cause a denial of service or gain privileges.
    (CVE-2007-4308)

  - The Linux kernel checked the wrong global variable for     the CIFS sec mount option, which might allow remote     attackers to spoof CIFS network traffic that the client     configured for security signatures, as demonstrated by     lack of signing despite sec=ntlmv2i in a SetupAndX     request. (CVE-2007-3843)

  - Multiple buffer overflows in CIFS VFS in the Linux     kernel allowed remote attackers to cause a denial of     service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via     long SMB responses that trigger the overflows in the     SendReceive function. (CVE-2007-5904)

    This requires the attacker to mis-present / replace a     CIFS server the client machine is connected to.

  - Buffer overflow in the isdn_net_setcfg function in     isdn_net.c in the Linux kernel allowed local users to     have an unknown impact via a crafted argument to the     isdn_ioctl function. (CVE-2007-6063)

and the following non security bugs :

-

patches.drivers/pci-delete-ACPI-hook-from-pci_set_power_stat e.patch:
Delete ACPI hook from pci_set_power_state() [#162320] Still execute the code on Lenovo ThinkPads (or USB ports do not work anymore after suspend [#329232]

  - patches.drivers/alsa-post-sp1-hda-probe-blacklist:
    [ALSA] hda-intel - Add probe_mask blacklist [#172330]

  - patches.drivers/alsa-post-sp1-hda-robust-probe: [ALSA]     hda-intel - Improve HD-audio codec probing robustness     [#172330]

  - patches.arch/i386-hpet-lost-interrupts-fix.patch:
    Backport i386 hpet lost interrupts code [#257035]

  - patches.fixes/megaraid_mbox-dell-cerc-support: Dell CERC     support for megaraid_mbox [#267134]

  - patches.fixes/nfsv4-MAXNAME-fix.diff: knfsd: query     filesystem for NFSv4 getattr of FATTR4_MAXNAME [#271803]
    -

patches.drivers/ide-amd74xx-add-ignore_enablebits-parameter: amd74xx:
add ignore_enable_bits module parameter [#272786]

  - patches.fixes/legacy-pty-count-kernel-parm.patch: Add a     kernel boot parameter to overwrite the legacy PTY count.
    The default value of 64 is insufficient occasionally     [#277846]

  - patches.fixes/lockd-grant-shutdown: Stop GRANT callback     from crashing if NFS server has been stopped. [#292478]

  - Kernel update to 2.6.16.54 [#298719] including (among     others) :

  - lots of md fixes

  - fix of sparc bugs

  - fix of TCP handling of SACK in bidirectional flows

  - fix of MCA bus matching

  - fix of PPC issues :

  - Fix osize too small errors when decoding mppe.

  - Fix output buffer size in ppp_decompress_frame(). -

patches.fixes/assign-task_struct.exit_code-before-taskstats_ exit.patch: Assign task_struct.exit_code before taskstats_exit() [#307504]

  - patches.fixes/bonding_no_addrconf_for_bond_slaves:
    bonding / ipv6: no addrconf for slaves separately from     master. [#310254]

  - patches.fixes/bonding_support_carrier_state_for_master:
    bonding: support carrier state for master [#310254] -

patches.fixes/fix-sys-devices-system-node-node0-meminfo-from

-having-anonpages-wrapped.patch: fix /sys/devices/system/node/node0/meminfo from having anonpages wrapped [#310744] -

patches.fixes/nfs-remove-bogus-cache-change-attribute-check. diff fix bogus cache change to make data available immediately, on direct write [#325877] -

patches.fixes/tcp-send-ACKs-each-2nd-received-segment.patch: Send ACKs each 2nd received segment. This fixes a problem where the tcp cubic congestion algorithm was too slow in converging [#327848]

  - patches.drivers/libata-fix-spindown: libata: fix disk     spindown on shutdown [#330722]

  - patches.fixes/scsi-reset-resid: busy status on tape     write results in incorrect residual [#330926]

  - patches.fixes/condense-output-of-show_free_areas.patch:
    Condense output of show_free_areas() [#331251]

  - patches.arch/powernowk8_family_freq_from_fiddid.patch:
    To find the frequency given the fid and did is family     dependent. [#332722]

  - patches.fixes/tcp-saner-thash_entries-default.patch:
    Limit the size of the TCP established hash to 512k     entries by default [#333273]

  - patches.drivers/alsa-emu10k1-spdif-mem-fix: [ALSA]     emu10k1 - Fix memory corruption [#333314]

  - patches.drivers/alsa-post-sp1-hda-stac-error-fix: [ALSA]     Fix error probing with STAC codecs [#333320] -

    patches.fixes/qla2xxx-avoid-duplicate-pci_disable_device     : Fixup patch to not refer to stale pointer [#333542]

  - large backport of dm-crypt fixes: [#333905]

  - patches.fixes/dm-disable_barriers.diff: dm: disable     barriers. -

patches.fixes/dm-crypt-restructure_for_workqueue_change.diff -

patches.fixes/dm-crypt-restructure_write_processing.diff

  - patches.fixes/dm-crypt-move_io_to_workqueue.diff

  - patches.fixes/dm-crypt-use_private_biosets.diff

  - patches.fixes/dm-crypt-fix_call_to_clone_init.diff -

patches.fixes/dm-crypt-fix_avoid_cloned_bio_ref_after_free.d iff

  - patches.fixes/dm-crypt-fix_remove_first_clone.diff -

patches.fixes/dm-crypt-use_smaller_bvecs_in_clones.diff -

patches.fixes/dm-crypt-fix_panic_on_large_request.diff

  - patches.fixes/initramfs-fix-cpio-hardlink-check.patch:
    initramfs: fix CPIO hardlink check [#334612]

  - patches.drivers/lpfc-8.1.10.12-update: driver update to     fix severe issues in lpfc 8.1.10.9 driver [#334630]     [#342044]

  - patches.fixes/nfs-direct-io-fix-1: NFS: Fix error     handling in nfs_direct_write_result() [#336200]

  - patches.fixes/nfs-direct-io-fix-2: NFS: Fix a refcount     leakage in O_DIRECT [#336200]

  - add patches.drivers/ibmvscsi-migration-login.patch     prohibit IO during adapter login process [#337980]

  - patches.arch/acpi_thinkpad_brightness_fix.patch: Take     care of latest Lenovo ThinkPad brightness control     [#338274] [#343660]

  - patches.fixes/ramdisk-2.6.23-corruption_fix.diff: rd:
    fix data corruption on memory pressure [#338643] -

    patches.fixes/fc_transport-remove-targets-on-host-remove     : memory use after free error in mptfc [#338730] -

patches.fixes/ipmi-ipmi_msghandler.c-fix-a-memory-leak.patch : IPMI:
ipmi_msghandler.c: fix a memory leak [#339413]

  - add patches.arch/ppc-pseries-rtas_ibm_suspend_me.patch     fix multiple bugs in rtas_ibm_suspend_me code [#339927]

  - patches.fixes/nfsacl-retval.diff: knfsd: fix spurious     EINVAL errors on first access of new filesystem     [#340873]

  - patches.fixes/avm-fix-capilib-locking: [ISDN] Fix random     hard freeze with AVM cards. [#341894]

  - patches.fixes/ipv6_rh_processing_fix: [IPV6]: Restore     semantics of Routing Header processing [#343100]

  - The following set of XEN fixes has been applied:
    [#343612]

  - patches.xen/14280-net-fake-carrier-flag.patch: netfront:
    Better fix for netfront_tx_slot_available().

  - patches.xen/14893-copy-more-skbs.patch: netback: Copy     skbuffs that are presented to the start_xmit() function.

  - patches.xen/157-netfront-skb-deref.patch: net front:
    Avoid deref'ing skb after it is potentially freed.

  - patches.xen/263-xfs-unmap.patch: xfs: eagerly remove     vmap mappings to avoid upsetting Xen.

  - patches.xen/xen-i386-set-fixmap: i386/PAE: avoid     temporarily inconsistent pte-s.

  - patches.xen/xen-isa-dma: Suppress all use of ISA DMA on     Xen.

  - patches.xen/xen-x86-panic-smp,

  - patches.xen/xen-netback-alloc,

  - patches.xen/xen-split-pt-lock,

  - patches.xen/137-netfront-copy-release.patch,

  - patches.xen/141-driver-autoload.patch,

  - patches.xen/xen-balloon-max-target,

  - patches.xen/xen-balloon-min,

  - patches.xen/xen-i386-highpte,

  - patches.xen/xen-intel-agp,

  - patches.xen/xen-multicall-check,

  - patches.xen/xen-x86-dcr-fallback,

  - patches.xen/xen-x86-pXX_val,

  - patches.xen/xen-x86-performance: Adjust.

  - patches.arch/acpi_backport_video.c.patch: Backport video     driver from 2.6.23-rc9 [#343660]

  - patches.arch/acpi_find_bcl_support.patch: Store     brightness/video functionality of ACPI provided by BIOS     [#343660]

Fixes for ia64 :

-

patches.fixes/fix-the-graphic-corruption-issue-on-ia64-machi nes.patch: Fix the graphic corruption issue on IA64 machines [#241041]

Fixes for S/390 :

  - IBM Patchcluster 18 [#333421,#340129,#341000]

  - Problem-ID: 39323 - qeth: discard inbound packets with     unknown header id

  - Problem-ID: 39542 - cio: Incorrect check for activity in     cmf

  - Problem-ID: 38321 - kernel: Reboot of large z/VM guests     takes a lot of time

  - Problem-ID: 40293 - kernel: pfault disabled

  - Problem-ID: 40296 - cio: change device sense procedure     to work with PAV aliases

  - Problem-ID: 39981 - zfcp: Remove SCSI devices when     removing complete adapter

  - Problem-ID: 40331 - zfcp: Deadlock when adding invalid     LUN

  - Problem-ID: 40333 - zfcp: Reduce flood on hba trace

  - Fix kprobe on 'bc' instruction [#301563] For further     description of the named Problem-IDs, please look to     http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/linux390/oct     ober 2005_recommended.html

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 :

This is an update to DSA 1428-1 which omitted a reference to CVE-2007-5904.

  - CVE-2007-3104     Eric Sandeen provided a backport of Tejun Heo's fix for     a local denial of service vulnerability in sysfs. Under     memory pressure, a dentry structure maybe reclaimed     resulting in a bad pointer dereference causing an oops     during a readdir.

  - CVE-2007-4997     Chris Evans discovered an issue with certain drivers     that make use of the Linux kernel's ieee80211 layer. A     remote user could generate a malicious 802.11 frame that     could result in a denial of service (crash). The ipw2100     driver is known to be affected by this issue, while the     ipw2200 is believed not to be.

  - CVE-2007-5500     Scott James Remnant diagnosed a coding error in the     implementation of ptrace which could be used by a local     user to cause the kernel to enter an infinite loop.

  - CVE-2007-5904     Przemyslaw Wegrzyn discovered an issue in the CIFS     filesystem that could allow a malicious server to cause     a denial of service (crash) by overflowing a buffer.

These problems have been fixed in the stable distribution in version 2.6.18.dfsg.1-13etch5.

The following matrix lists additional packages that were rebuilt for compatibility with or to take advantage of this update :

                           Debian 4.0 (etch)           fai-kernels               1.17+etch.13etch5           user-mode-linux           2.6.18-1um-2etch.13etch5

A flaw was discovered in the PPP over Ethernet implementation. Local attackers could manipulate ioctls and cause kernel memory consumption leading to a denial of service. (CVE-2007-2525)

An integer underflow was discovered in the cpuset filesystem. If mounted, local attackers could obtain kernel memory using large file offsets while reading the tasks file. This could disclose sensitive data. (CVE-2007-2875)

Vilmos Nebehaj discovered that the SCTP netfilter code did not correctly validate certain states. A remote attacker could send a specially crafted packet causing a denial of service. (CVE-2007-2876)

Luca Tettamanti discovered a flaw in the VFAT compat ioctls on 64-bit systems. A local attacker could corrupt a kernel_dirent struct and cause a denial of service. (CVE-2007-2878)

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)

A flaw was discovered in the usblcd driver. A local attacker could cause large amounts of kernel memory consumption, leading to a denial of service. (CVE-2007-3513)

Zhongling Wen discovered that the h323 conntrack handler did not correctly handle certain bitfields. A remote attacker could send a specially crafted packet and cause a denial of service.
(CVE-2007-3642)

A flaw was discovered in the CIFS mount security checking. Remote attackers could spoof CIFS network traffic, which could lead a client to trust the connection. (CVE-2007-3843)

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)

The Direct Rendering Manager for the i915 driver could be made to write to arbitrary memory locations. An attacker with access to a running X11 session could send a specially crafted buffer and gain root privileges. (CVE-2007-3851)

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.

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)

A flaw was discovered in the usblcd driver. A local attacker could cause large amounts of kernel memory consumption, leading to a denial of service. (CVE-2007-3513)

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)

The Direct Rendering Manager for the i915 driver could be made to write to arbitrary memory locations. An attacker with access to a running X11 session could send a specially crafted buffer and gain root privileges. (CVE-2007-3851)

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.

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.

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

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.

These new kernel packages contain fixes for the security issues described below :

* a flaw in the connection tracking support for SCTP that allowed a remote user to cause a denial of service by dereferencing a NULL pointer. (CVE-2007-2876, Important)

* a flaw in the mount handling routine for 64-bit systems that allowed a local user to cause denial of service (crash). (CVE-2006-7203, Important)

* a flaw in the IPv4 forwarding base that allowed a local user to cause an out-of-bounds access. (CVE-2007-2172, Important)

* a flaw in the PPP over Ethernet implementation that allowed a local user to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) by creating a socket using connect and then releasing it before the PPPIOCGCHAN ioctl has been called. (CVE-2007-2525, Important)

* a flaw in the fput ioctl handling of 32-bit applications running on 64-bit platforms that allowed a local user to cause a denial of service (panic). (CVE-2007-0773, Important)

* a flaw in the NFS locking daemon that allowed a local user to cause denial of service (deadlock). (CVE-2006-5158, Moderate)

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

* a flaw in the core-dump handling that allowed a local user to create core dumps from unreadable binaries via PT_INTERP. (CVE-2007-0958, Low)

* a flaw in the Bluetooth subsystem that allowed a local user to trigger an information leak. (CVE-2007-1353, Low)

In addition, the following bugs were addressed :

* the NFS could recurse on the same spinlock. Also, NFS, under certain conditions, did not completely clean up Posix locks on a file close, leading to mount failures.

* the 32bit compatibility didn't return to userspace correct values for the rt_sigtimedwait system call.

* the count for unused inodes could be incorrect at times, resulting in dirty data not being written to disk in a timely manner.

* the cciss driver had an incorrect disk size calculation (off-by-one error) which prevented disk dumps.

Red Hat would like to thank Ilja van Sprundel and the OpenVZ Linux kernel team for reporting issues fixed in this erratum.

All Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 users are advised to upgrade their kernels to the packages associated with their machine architectures and configurations as listed in this erratum.

The remote CentOS system is missing a security update which has been documented in Red Hat advisory RHSA-2008-0089.

The remote CentOS system is missing a security update which has been documented in Red Hat advisory RHSA-2007-0488.

ID	Name	Product	Family	Severity
79447	OracleVM 2.1 : kernel (OVMSA-2008-2005)	Nessus	OracleVM Local Security Checks	high
67645	Oracle Linux 5 : Important: / kernel (ELSA-2008-0089)	Nessus	Oracle Linux Local Security Checks	medium
67520	Oracle Linux 4 : kernel (ELSA-2007-0488)	Nessus	Oracle Linux Local Security Checks	medium
60351	Scientific Linux Security Update : kernel on SL5.x i386/x86_64	Nessus	Scientific Linux Local Security Checks	medium
60215	Scientific Linux Security Update : kernel on SL4.x i386/x86_64	Nessus	Scientific Linux Local Security Checks	medium
59125	SuSE 10 Security Update : Linux kernel (ZYPP Patch Number 4745)	Nessus	SuSE Local Security Checks	high
43672	CentOS 5 : kernel (CESA-2008:0089)	Nessus	CentOS Local Security Checks	medium
30090	RHEL 5 : kernel (RHSA-2008:0089)	Nessus	Red Hat Local Security Checks	critical
29880	openSUSE 10 Security Update : kernel (kernel-4752)	Nessus	SuSE Local Security Checks	high
29489	SuSE 10 Security Update : Linux kernel (ZYPP Patch Number 4741)	Nessus	SuSE Local Security Checks	high
29263	Debian DSA-1428-2 : linux-2.6 - several vulnerabilities	Nessus	Debian Local Security Checks	high
28114	Ubuntu 7.04 : linux-source-2.6.20 vulnerabilities (USN-510-1)	Nessus	Ubuntu Local Security Checks	high
28113	Ubuntu 6.10 : linux-source-2.6.17 vulnerabilities (USN-509-1)	Nessus	Ubuntu Local Security Checks	medium
28112	Ubuntu 6.06 LTS : linux-source-2.6.15 vulnerabilities (USN-508-1)	Nessus	Ubuntu Local Security Checks	high
25605	RHEL 4 : kernel (RHSA-2007:0488)	Nessus	Red Hat Local Security Checks	medium
25575	CentOS 4 : kernel (CESA-2007:0488)	Nessus	CentOS Local Security Checks	medium
801445	CentOS RHSA-2008-0089 Security Check	Log Correlation Engine	Generic	high
801431	CentOS RHSA-2007-0488 Security Check	Log Correlation Engine	Generic	high

Detections

Analytics

CVE-2007-3104

medium

Tenable Plugins

high

medium

medium

medium

medium

high

medium

critical

high

high

high

high

medium

high

medium

medium

high

high