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Security update for the Linux kernel

Knowledgebase

(Last modified: 31OCT2007)


solutions Security update for the Linux kernel SuSE Linux Maintenance Web (6e4070b7dbe34cd8d00e6087ea642639)

Applies to

Package: kernel-default
kernel-source
kernel-syms
Product(s): SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 SP1 DEBUGINFO for IBM zSeries 64bit
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 for IBM zSeries 64bit
Zypp-Patch-Number: 4603
Release: 20071031
Obsoletes: 6c78f382a20b722ceb5c36cab3f83afe
274f7b8b00f317e8958d114487743e27

Indications

All users of s390 should install this update.

Contraindications

None.

Problem description

This kernel update fixes the following security problems:
  • CVE-2007-4573: It was possible for local user to become root by exploiting a bug in the IA32 system call emulation. This affects x86_64 platforms with kernel 2.4.x and 2.6.x before 2.6.22.7 only.
  • CVE-2007-4571: An information disclosure vulnerability in the ALSA driver can be exploited by local users to read sensitive data from the kernel memory.
and the following non security bugs:
  • patches.xen/xen-blkback-cdrom: CDROM removable media-present attribute plus handling code [#159907]
  • patches.drivers/libata-add-pata_dma-kernel-parameter: libata: Add a drivers/ide style DMA disable [#229260] [#272786]
  • patches.drivers/libata-sata_via-kill-SATA_PATA_SHARING: sata_via: kill SATA_PATA_SHARING register handling [#254158] [#309069]
  • patches.drivers/libata-sata_via-add-PCI-IDs: sata_via: add PCI IDs [#254158] [#326647]
  • supported.conf: Marked 8250 and 8250_pci as supported (only Xen kernels build them as modules) [#260686]
  • patches.fixes/bridge-module-get-put.patch: Module use count must be updated as bridges are created/destroyed [#267651]
  • patches.fixes/iscsi-netware-fix: Linux Initiator hard hangs writing files to NetWare target [#286566]
  • patches.fixes/lockd-chroot-fix: Allow lockd to work reliably with applications in a chroot [#288376] [#305480]
  • add patches.fixes/x86_64-hangcheck_timer-fix.patch fix monotonic_clock() and hangcheck_timer [#291633]
  • patches.arch/sn_hwperf_cpuinfo_fix.diff: Correctly count CPU objects for SGI ia64/sn hwperf interface [#292240]
  • Extend reiserfs to properly support file systems up to 16 TiB [#294754]
    • patches.fixes/reiserfs-signedness-fixes.diff: reiserfs: fix usage of signed ints for block numbers
    • patches.fixes/reiserfs-fix-large-fs.diff: reiserfs: ignore s_bmap_nr on disk for file systems >= 8 TiB
  • patches.suse/ocfs2-06-per-resource-events.diff: Deliver events without a specified resource unconditionally. [#296606]
  • patches.fixes/proc-readdir-race-fix.patch: Fix the race in proc_pid_readdir [#297232]
  • patches.xen/xen3-patch-2.6.16.49-50: XEN: update to Linux 2.6.16.50 [#298719]
  • patches.fixes/pm-ordering-fix.patch: PM: Fix ACPI suspend / device suspend ordering [#302207]
  • patches.drivers/ibmvscsi-slave_configure.patch add ->slave_configure() to allow device restart [#304138]
  • patches.arch/ppc-power6-ebus-unique_location.patch Prevent bus_id collisions [#306482]
  • patches.xen/30-bit-field-booleans.patch: Fix packet loss in DomU xen netback driver [#306896]
  • config/i386/kdump: Enable ahci module [#308556]
  • update patches.drivers/ppc-power6-ehea.patch fix link state detection for bonding [#309553]
  • patches.drivers/ibmveth-fixup-pool_deactivate.patch patches.drivers/ibmveth-large-frames.patch patches.drivers/ibmveth-large-mtu.patch: fix serveral crashes when changing ibmveth sysfs values [#326164]
  • patches.drivers/libata-sata_sil24-fix-IRQ-clearing-race-on-IRQ_WOC: sata_sil24: fix IRQ clearing race when PCIX_IRQ_WOC is used [#327536]
  • update patches.drivers/ibmvscsis.patch set blocksize to PAGE_CACHE_SIZE to fix flood of bio allocation warnings/failures [#328219]
Fixes for S/390:
  • IBM Patchcluster 17 [#330036]
    • Problem-ID: 38085 - zfcp: zfcp_scsi_eh_abort_handler or zfcp_scsi_eh_device_reset_handler hanging after CHPID off/on
    • Problem-ID: 38491 - zfcp: Error messages when LUN 0 is present
    • Problem-ID: 37390 - zcrypt: fix PCIXCC/CEX2C error recovery [#306056]
    • Problem-ID: 38500 - kernel: too few page cache pages in state volatile
    • Problem-ID: 38634 - qeth: crash during reboot after failing online setting
    • Problem-ID: 38927 - kernel: shared memory may not be volatile
    • Problem-ID: 39069 - cio: Disable channel path measurements on shutdown/reboot
    • Problem-ID: 27787 - qeth: recognize "exclusively used"-RC from Hydra3
    • Problem-ID: 38330 - qeth: make qeth driver loadable without ipv6 module
  • linux-2.6.16-s390-17-04-october2005.diff: This patch was modified to correctly set a flag to inhibit a target scan. [#330036].
For further description of the named Problem-IDs, please have look at
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/linux390/october2005_recommended.html

Solution

Please install the updates provided at the location noted below.

Installation notes

This update is provided as a RPM packages that can easily be installed onto a running system by the following command:
rpm -Fvh kernel-syms*.rpm kernel-default*.rpm
Afterwards, 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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