-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----______________________________________________________________________________
SUSE Security Announcement
Package: kernel
Announcement-ID: SuSE-SA:2004:017
Date: Wednesday, Jun 16th 2004 15:20 MEST
Affected products: 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 9.0, 9.1
SuSE Linux Database Server,
SuSE eMail Server III, 3.1
SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 7, 8
SuSE Linux Firewall on CD/Admin host
SuSE Linux Connectivity Server
SuSE Linux Office Server
Vulnerability Type: local denial-of-service attack
Severity (1-10): 4
SUSE default package: no
Cross References: CAN-2004-0554
Content of this advisory:
1) security vulnerability resolved:
- floating point exception causes system crash
problem description, discussion, solution and upgrade information
2) pending vulnerabilities, solutions, workarounds:
- icecast
- sitecopy
- cadaver
- OpenOffice_org
- tripwire
- postgresql
- lha
- XDM
- mod_proxy
3) standard appendix (further information)
______________________________________________________________________________
1) problem description, brief discussion, solution, upgrade information
The Linux kernel is vulnerable to a local denial-of-service attack.
By using a C program it is possible to trigger a floating point
exception that puts the kernel into an unusable state.
To execute this attack a malicious user needs shell access to the
victim's machine.
The severity of this bug is considered low because local denial-of- service attacks are hard to prevent in general.
Additionally the bug is limited to x86 and x86_64 architecture.
SPECIAL INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS:
============================= The following paragraphs will guide you through the installation
process in a step-by-step fashion. The character sequence "****"
marks the beginning of a new paragraph. In some cases, the steps
outlined in a particular paragraph may or may not be applicable
to your situation.
Therefore, please make sure to read through all of the steps below
before attempting any of these procedures.
All of the commands that need to be executed are required to be
run as the superuser (root). Each step relies on the steps before
it to complete successfully.
Note: The update packages for the SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 7
(SLES7) are being tested at the moment and will be published as soon
as possible.
**** Step 1: Determine the needed kernel type
Please use the following command to find the kernel type that is
installed on your system:
rpm -qf /boot/vmlinuz
Following are the possible kernel types (disregard the version and
build number following the name separated by the "-" character)
k_deflt # default kernel, good for most systems.
k_i386 # kernel for older processors and chipsets
k_athlon # kernel made specifically for AMD Athlon(tm) family processors
k_psmp # kernel for Pentium-I dual processor systems
k_smp # kernel for SMP systems (Pentium-II and above)
k_smp4G # kernel for SMP systems which supports a maximum of 4G of RAM
kernel-64k-pagesize
kernel-bigsmp
kernel-default
kernel-smp
**** Step 2: Download the package for your system
Please download the kernel RPM package for your distribution with the
name as indicated by Step 1. The list of all kernel rpm packages is
appended below. Note: The kernel-source package does not
contain a binary kernel in bootable form. Instead, it contains the
sources that the binary kernel rpm packages are created from. It can be
used by administrators who have decided to build their own kernel.
Since the kernel-source.rpm is an installable (compiled) package that
contains sources for the linux kernel, it is not the source RPM for
the kernel RPM binary packages.
The kernel RPM binary packages for the distributions can be found at the
locations below .
8.0/images/
8.1/rpm/i586
8.2/rpm/i586
9.0/rpm/i586
9.1/rpm/i586
After downloading the kernel RPM package for your system, you should
verify the authenticity of the kernel rpm package using the methods as
listed in section 3) of each SUSE Security Announcement.
**** Step 3: Installing your kernel rpm package
Install the rpm package that you have downloaded in Steps 3 or 4 with
the command
rpm -Uhv --nodeps --force
where is the name of the rpm package that you downloaded.
Warning: After performing this step, your system will likely not be
able to boot if the following steps have not been fully
followed.
If you run SUSE LINUX 8.1 and haven't applied the kernel update
(SUSE-SA:2003:034), AND you are using the freeswan package, you also
need to update the freeswan rpm as a dependency as offered
by YOU (YaST Online Update). The package can be downloaded from
8.1/rpm/i586/
**** Step 4: configuring and creating the initrd
The initrd is a ramdisk that is loaded into the memory of your
system together with the kernel boot image by the bootloader. The
kernel uses the content of this ramdisk to execute commands that must
be run before the kernel can mount its actual root filesystem. It is
usually used to initialize SCSI drivers or NIC drivers for diskless
operation.
The variable INITRD_MODULES in /etc/sysconfig/kernel determines
which kernel modules will be loaded in the initrd before the kernel
has mounted its actual root filesystem. The variable should contain
your SCSI adapter (if any) or filesystem driver modules.
With the installation of the new kernel, the initrd has to be
re-packed with the update kernel modules. Please run the command
mk_initrd
as root to create a new init ramdisk (initrd) for your system.
On SuSE Linux 8.1 and later, this is done automatically when the
RPM is installed.
**** Step 5: bootloader
If you run a SUSE LINUX 8.x, SLES8, or SUSE LINUX 9.x system, there
are two options:
Depending on your software configuration, you have either the lilo
bootloader or the grub bootloader installed and initialized on your
system.
The grub bootloader does not require any further actions to be
performed after the new kernel images have been moved in place by the
rpm Update command.
If you have a lilo bootloader installed and initialized, then the lilo
program must be run as root. Use the command
grep LOADER_TYPE /etc/sysconfig/bootloader
to find out which boot loader is configured. If it is lilo, then you
must run the lilo command as root. If grub is listed, then your system
does not require any bootloader initialization.
Warning: An improperly installed bootloader may render your system
unbootable.
**** Step 6: reboot
If all of the steps above have been successfully completed on your
system, then the new kernel including the kernel modules and the
initrd should be ready to boot. The system needs to be rebooted for
the changes to become active. Please make sure that all steps have
completed, then reboot using the command
shutdown -r now
or
init 6
Your system should now shut down and reboot with the new kernel.
There is no workaround known.
Please download the update package for your distribution and verify its
integrity by the methods listed in section 3) of this announcement.
Then, install the package using the command "rpm -Fhv file.rpm" to apply
the update.
Our maintenance customers are being notified individually. The packages
are being offered to install from the maintenance web.
Intel i386 Platform:
SuSE-9.1:
9.1/rpm/i586/kernel-source-2.6.5-7.75.i586.rpm
8d11469e1815c5b2fa143fce62c17b95
9.1/rpm/i586/kernel-default-2.6.5-7.75.i586.rpm
75222182ad4c766b6482e5b83658819d
45f1244f153ab1387a9dc67e7bcf20bb
517647d955770503fe61ae2549c453dd
source rpm(s):
9.1/rpm/src/kernel-source-2.6.5-7.75.src.rpm
9103503f430b9d854630ecb8855a2fb3
9.1/rpm/src/kernel-default-2.6.5-7.75.nosrc.rpm
9381c56f1f64835c5379dde278ac768d
4f47dc2be58f5315cf596c051c2892b5
732c1e7d2a9e41780464eccdc0d54505
SuSE-9.0:
7b6022e2f80325b42fa7dc3188360530
594efe04ccc233e890bfb277e8296c2d
f41d088cf20bfe583e57f95a6b46d625
9.0/rpm/i586/k_smp-2.4.21-226.i586.rpm
39e2c09ece3f22b50eb777b85a7218ef
9.0/rpm/i586/k_smp4G-2.4.21-226.i586.rpm
83398954810403b9dfb65bcf1af25352
9.0/rpm/i586/k_um-2.4.21-226.i586.rpm
18dde4a8af68dd1f78a0177c3214457a
source rpm(s):
d5b037aaf122b1b05917e3f0b475baae
e10aea97785eb12716ad7d5e20cbd723
9.0/rpm/src/k_deflt-2.4.21-226.src.rpm
54b8bbd368998abc1a63224caa880473
f944b14978ecd211c26f8169238292bf
66a116aeb9757c538a0643e8322095a7
5e3694ba088fd39891a5979380679d20
SuSE-8.2:
a5843cb4e2b16515d70574d83113ac48
724529485d3a304f0479f9216fc361af
b0e687c208053d546b7057257beb7d32
749b101e7fc4aa5c62e2a5b650002803
3377544a5f6d9c73fdfe05140fce0813
source rpm(s):
8.2/rpm/src/kernel-source-2.4.20.SuSE-113.src.rpm
0a41c750b8cd3953d47e27ea15c58697
a5e5790e5f7fe62905d29750543c9e20
8.2/rpm/src/k_deflt-2.4.20-113.src.rpm
9defa7cb706e924f8336dd03fafbcfd5
8469dbc8810dd292100d085e00bb6081
8.2/rpm/src/k_smp-2.4.20-113.src.rpm
d990fcbace1f21ff383abdf7608a17ef
SuSE-8.1:
8.1/rpm/i586/kernel-source-2.4.21-226.i586.rpm
43ee5eae102f0258a414dd15e3fd9433
8.1/rpm/i586/k_athlon-2.4.21-226.i586.rpm
0c6289e168307d615bfe6cef9ebcf879
8.1/rpm/i586/k_deflt-2.4.21-226.i586.rpm
003a38c53fe91070eeae85983930c70e
8.1/rpm/i586/k_psmp-2.4.21-226.i586.rpm
657d08fa4b5a2ba7de2a314a7d1622e1
e19239b4ca52ebd21f775b5e6195f144
source rpm(s):
ee67f5db0ea2f1431f46b7dd27815a56
8.1/rpm/src/k_athlon-2.4.21-226.src.rpm
b29021156d6582e315666b16231b2a60
ce5e47d527cee6968cd95bb8430d3e18
a081a0f1e31f5491cdeba1fea5ea6411
1dbfd3b5f272fc75342ae55bbe7ab45c
SuSE-8.0:
7de319a4e6c667fba359686b814d4a73
8.0/images/k_deflt-2.4.18-299.i386.rpm
df5aad7c423625a19af151bbba0f2ca8
cb02c8381962eda997ebb115ef68ae4c
903c6e61927803c2d592ac50fe9da6ce
e2abf9ccdc8191e7d2ace58e8a1b5b5a
source rpm(s):
622c85342dd84abd0400103902d05eed
37916ea39febc4dd43fabfccce9322db
0dde0e6758e42de5479e8776475ae76f
8.0/zq1/k_smp-2.4.18-299.src.rpm
523bef4e31fa67f078d5fcbdc426a4c0
8.0/zq1/k_i386-2.4.18-299.src.rpm
06a2a062a54764a30adae0b8ea40cb29
Opteron x86_64 Platform:
SuSE-9.1:
1c878b1e29a9bea40547637b6a307b2d
16de3ee2390bb2b92f9fe50451d4f082
c310268daa83f18fcfd4cf19434f06e0
source rpm(s):
2fed0a8f3936027261add7d1cbfa5341
9ad26d15566337c83273121390ea4e32
352951be42b3093efb0148320a6f4c27
SuSE-9.0:
ced9c66ffa28bf7e7c795781f92083fe
60539bc47e8cac0664ac5ca824d311e0
083aeedd2a88ccc2e00c8f66cd61b81c
source rpm(s):
58c40a206f6f615daa3486fc6d6ade38
1c234f6c0475680b41c644c575ff8ef6
e9b90824615859405b1979793662bc0d
______________________________________________________________________________
2) Pending vulnerabilities in SUSE Distributions and Workarounds:
- icecast
The icecast service is vulnerable to a remote denial-of-service
attack. Update packages will be available soon.
- sitecopy
The sitecopy package includes a vulnerable version of the
neon library (CAN-2004-0179, CAN-2004-0398). Update packages will be
available soon.
- cadaver
The cadaver package includes a vulnerable version of the
neon library (CAN-2004-0179, CAN-2004-0398). Update packages will be
available soon.
- OpenOffice_org
The OpenOffice_org package includes a vulnerable version
of the neon library (CAN-2004-0179, CAN-2004-0398). Update packages
will be available soon.
- tripwire
A format string bug in tripwire can be exploited locally
to gain root permissions. Update packages will be available soon.
- postgresql
A buffer overflow in psqlODBC could be exploited to crash the
application using it. E.g. a PHP script that uses ODBC to access a
PostgreSQL database can be utilized to crash the surrounding Apache
web-server. Other parts of PostgreSQL are not affected.
Update packages will be available soon.
- lha
Minor security fix for a buffer overflow while handling command
line options. This buffer overflow could be exploited in conjunction
with other mechanisms to gain higher privileges or access the system
remotely.
- XDM/XFree86
This update resolves random listening to ports by XDM
that allows to connect via the XDMCP. SUSE LINUX 9.1
is affected only.
New packages are currently being tested and will be
available soon.
- mod_proxy
A buffer overflow can be triggered by malicious remote
servers that return a negative Content-Length value.
This vulnerability can be used to execute commands remotely
New packages are currently being tested and will be
available soon.
______________________________________________________________________________
3) standard appendix: authenticity verification, additional information
- Package authenticity verification:
SUSE update packages are available on many mirror ftp servers around
the world. While this service is considered valuable and important
to the free and open source software community, many users wish to be
certain as to be the origin of the package and its content before
installing the package. There are two independent verification methods
that can be used to prove the authenticity of a downloaded file or
rpm package:
1) md5sums as provided in the (cryptographically signed) announcement.
2) using the internal gpg signatures of the rpm package.
1) execute the command
md5sum
after you have downloaded the file from a SUSE ftp server or its
mirrors. Then, compare the resulting md5sum with the one that is
listed in the announcement. Since the announcement containing the
checksums is cryptographically signed (usually using the key
security@suse.de), the checksums offer proof of the authenticity
of the package.
We recommend against subscribing to security lists which cause the
email message containing the announcement to be modified so that
the signature does not match after transport through the mailing
list software.
Downsides: You must be able to verify the authenticity of the
announcement in the first place. If RPM packages are being rebuilt
and a new version of a package is published on the ftp server, all
md5 sums for the files are useless.
2) rpm package signatures provide an easy way to verify the authenticity
of an rpm package. Use the command
rpm -v --checksig
to verify the signature of the package, where is the
filename of the rpm package that you have downloaded. Of course,
package authenticity verification can only target an un-installed rpm
package file.
Prerequisites:
a) gpg is installed
b) The package is signed using a certain key. The public part of this
key must be installed by the gpg program in the directory
~/.gnupg/ under the user's home directory who performs the
signature verification (usually root). You can import the key
that is used by SUSE in rpm packages for SUSE Linux by saving
this announcement to a file ("announcement.txt") and
running the command (do "su -" to be root):
gpg --batch; gpg < announcement.txt | gpg --import
SUSE Linux distributions version 7.1 and thereafter install the
key "build@suse.de" upon installation or upgrade, provided that
the package gpg is installed. The file containing the public key
is placed at the top-level directory of the first CD (pubring.gpg)
and at ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/pubring.gpg-build.suse.de .
- SUSE runs two security mailing lists to which any interested party may
subscribe:
suse-security@suse.com
- general/linux/SUSE security discussion.
All SUSE security announcements are sent to this list.
To subscribe, send an email to
.
suse-security-announce@suse.com
- SUSE's announce-only mailing list.
Only SUSE's security announcements are sent to this list.
To subscribe, send an email to
.
For general information or the frequently asked questions (faq)
send mail to:
or
respectively.
==================================================================== SUSE's security contact is or .
The public key is listed below.
====================================================================
