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Security update for Linux kernel

Knowledgebase

(Last modified: 20JAN2005)


solutions Security update for Linux kernel SuSE Linux Maintenance Web (61f709205301ab5fbcf4dea596a31ea9)

Applies to

Package: k_deflt
k_itanium2-smp
k_itanium2
k_smp
kernel-source
Product(s): SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 for IPF
Patch: patch-9765
Release: 20050120
Obsoletes: 820d43316a6ff8abd137b5f9feffa862

Indications

Everyone using the Linux Kernel on IPF architecture should update.

Contraindications

None.

Problem description

This update fixes following security problems:
  • An unlocked VM operation could lead to a local user gaining root access using a handcrafted ELF binary and the uselib system call. This problem was found by Paul Starzetz and has been assigned the Mitre CVE ID CAN-2004-1235.
  • A race condition in the SMP page fault handler could lead to a local attacker gaining root access on SMP machines. This problem was also found by Paul Starzetz and has been assigned the Mitre CVE ID CAN-2005-001.
  • A problem in the earlier cmsg / sendmsg security fix was identified and fixed which could lead 32bit applications on a 64bit system (like i386 binaries on x86_64, or PowerPC binaries on a PowerPC64 system) to handle the sendmsg call incorrectly.
  • An incomplete fix of the IGMP problem in the last update was replaced by the final approved fix.

Solution

Please install the updates provided at the location noted below.

Installation notes

This update is provided as an RPM package that can easily be installed onto a running system.
First find out which kernel package to install by using the following command:
rpm -qf /boot/vmlinuz
Download the kernel image fitting your setup and install it with either:
  • rpm -Fvh k_deflt-*.rpm for the default kernel image, or
  • rpm -Fvh k_itanium2-smp-*.rpm for the Itanium2 SMP kernel image, or
  • rpm -Fhv k_itanium2*.rpm for the Itanium2 kernel image, or
  • rpm -Fhv k_smp-*.rpm for the SMP kernel image
Please do only install one of these kernels, not all of them.
Finally, reboot the system with
shutdown -r now
to load the new kernel (replace "now" with the appropriate amount of time to allow local users to cleanly log out, for example "+5" for five minutes.)

links to download packages

Download Source Packages

Download the source code of the patches for maintained products.


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