Novell is now a part of Micro Focus

Security update for Linux kernel

Knowledgebase

(Last modified: 09DEC2005)


solutions Security update for Linux kernel
SuSE Linux Maintenance Web (79a129621653571f9f612232ddd69857)

Applies to

Package: kernel-iseries64
kernel-ppc64
kernel-source
Product(s): SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 for IBM iSeries and IBM pSeries
Patch: patch-10798
Release: 20051209
Obsoletes: f4566f53d19b4b4dbb97b0247614b91a

Indications

Everyone using the Linux Kernel on PPC architecture should update.

Contraindications

None.

Problem description

This kernel update contains several security fixes and some bugfixes, listed below:
Security fixes:
  • CVE-2005-3783: A check in ptrace(2) handling that finds out if a process is attaching to itself was incorrect and could be used by a local attacker to crash the machine.
  • CVE-2005-3044: Missing sockfd_put() calls in routing_ioctl() leaked file handles which in turn could exhaust system memory.
  • CVE-2005-2490: A stack-based buffer overflow in the sendmsg function call in the Linux kernel 2.6 and 2.4 allowed local users execute arbitrary code by calling sendmsg and modifying the message contents in another thread.
  • CVE-2005-3806: A bug in IPv6 flowlabel handling code could be used by a local attacker to free non-allocated memory and in turn corrupt kernel memory and likely crash the machine.
  • CVE-2005-3275: The NAT code in Linux kernel incorrectly declares a variable to be static, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) by causing two packets for the same protocol to be NATed at the same time.
  • CVE-2005-2457: A problem in decompression of files on "zisofs" filesystem was fixed.
  • CVE-2005-2458: A potential buffer overflow in the zlib decompression handling in the kernel was fixed.
  • CVE-2005-2459: Some return codes in zlib decoding were fixed which could have led to an attacker crashing the kernel.
Non security bugfixes:
  • Fixed a race on the count of unused dcache entries.
  • Fixed the "treason uncloaked" kernel messages that were caused by a stale pred_flags variable when the TCP snd_wnd changes.
  • Allow filesystems to return NFSERR_JUKEBOX to the server by returning -ETIMEDOUT.
  • Documented SCSI device scanning parameters.
  • Added an NFS ACL fix for Solaris VxFS compatibility.
  • Fixed an incorrect error return in ip_conntrack_expect_related.
  • Add EMC Invista to SCSI LUN blacklist.
  • A USB problem with the OHCI chipset was fixed.

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 use, for example with
rpm -qf /boot/vmlinuz
Download the kernel image fitting your setup and install it with either:
  • rpm -Fvh kernel-iseries64*.rpm for the 64 bit iSeries kernel image, or
  • rpm -Fvh kernel-ppc64*.rpm for the 64 bit PPC kernel image
Please do only install one of these kernels, not all of them.
After performing the RPM package update of your kernel package, you must execute the following commands as root to make sure that your system will start up again:
mk_initrd lilo
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.


Disclaimer

The Origin of this information may be internal or external to Novell. Novell makes all reasonable efforts to verify this information. However, the information provided in this document is for your information only. Novell makes no explicit or implied claims to the validity of this information.

Any trademarks referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners. Consult your product manuals for complete trademark information.

© Copyright Micro Focus or one of its affiliates