Novell is now a part of Micro Focus

Security update for Linux kernel

Knowledgebase

(Last modified: 04SEP2007)


solutions Security update for Linux kernel SuSE Linux Maintenance Web (87829cedfb6551b47976e17c7a7ffc27)

Applies to

Package: kernel-default
kernel-iseries64
kernel-kdump
kernel-ppc64
kernel-source
kernel-syms
Product(s): SLE SDK 10 SP1 for IBM iSeries and IBM pSeries
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 for IBM POWER
Zypp-Patch-Number: 4182
Release: 20070904
Obsoletes: none

Indications

Everyone using the Linux Kernel on ppc architecture should update.

Contraindications

None.

Problem description

This kernel update fixes the following security problems:
  • CVE-2007-2242: The IPv6 protocol allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via crafted IPv6 type 0 route headers (IPV6_RTHDR_TYPE_0) that create network amplification between two routers. The default is that RH0 is disabled now. To adjust this, write to the file /proc/net/accept_source_route6.
  • CVE-2007-2453: The random number feature in the Linux kernel 2.6 (1) did not properly seed pools when there is no entropy, or (2) used an incorrect cast when extracting entropy, which might have caused the random number generator to provide the same values after reboots on systems without an entropy source.
  • CVE-2007-2876: A NULL pointer dereference in SCTP connection tracking could be caused by a remote attacker by sending specially crafted packets. Note that this requires SCTP set-up and active to be exploitable.
  • CVE-2007-3105: Stack-based buffer overflow in the random number generator (RNG) implementation in the Linux kernel before 2.6.22 might allow local root users to cause a denial of service or gain privileges by setting the default wakeup threshold to a value greater than the output pool size, which triggers writing random numbers to the stack by the pool transfer function involving "bound check ordering". Since this value can only be changed by a root user, exploitability is low.
  • CVE-2007-3107: The signal handling in the Linux kernel, when run on PowerPC systems using HTX, allows local users to cause a denial of service via unspecified vectors involving floating point corruption and concurrency.
  • CVE-2007-2525: Memory leak in the PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) socket implementation in the Linux kernel allowed local users to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) by creating a socket using connect, and releasing it before the PPPIOCGCHAN ioctl is initialized.
  • CVE-2007-3513: The lcd_write function in drivers/usb/misc/usblcd.c in the Linux kernel did not limit the amount of memory used by a caller, which allowed local users to cause a denial of service (memory consumption).
  • CVE-2007-3848: A local attacker could send a death signal to a setuid root program under certain conditions, potentially causing unwanted behaviour in this program.
  • CVE-2007-3851: On machines with a Intel i965 based graphics card local users with access to the direct rendering devicenode could overwrite memory on the machine and so gain root privileges.
  • Fixed a denial of service possibility where a local attacker with access to a pwc camera device could hang the USB subsystem. [#302194]
and the following non security bugs:
  • patches.arch/ppc-oprofile-970mp.patch: enable ppc64/970 MP, requires oprofile 0.9.3 [#252696]
  • patches.arch/x86_64-no-tsc-with-C3: don't use TSC on x86_64 Intel systems when CPU has C3 [#254061]
  • patches.arch/x86_64-hpet-lost-interrupts-fix.patch: backport x86_64 hpet lost interrupts code [#257035]
  • patches.fixes/fusion-nat-consumption-fix: handle a potential race in mptbase. This fixes a NaT consumption crash [#257412]
  • patches.arch/ia64-skip-clock-calibration: enabled [#259501]
  • patches.fixes/md-raid1-handle-read-error: Correctly handle read errors from a failed drive in raid1 [#261459]
  • patches.arch/ia64-fix-kdump-on-init: kdump on INIT needs multi-nodes sync-up (v.2) [#265764]
  • patches.arch/ia64-perfmon-fix-2: race condition between pfm_context_create and pfm_read [#268131]
  • patches.fixes/cpufreq_ppc_boot_option.patch: workaround for _PPC (BIOS cpufreq limitations) [#269579]
  • patches.arch/acpi_package_object_support.patch: ACPI package object as method parameter support (in AML) [#270956]
  • patches.fixes/ia64_cpufreq_PDC.patch: correctly assign as cpufreq capable driver (_PDC) to BIOS [#270973]
  • patches.arch/ia64-kdump-hpzx1-ioc-workaround: update to latest upstream version of the patch [#271158]
  • patches.suse/delayacct_memleak.patch: Fix delayacct memory leak [#271187]
  • patches.fixes/fc_transport-check-portstate-before-scan: check FC portstates before invoking target scan [#271338]
  • patches.fixes/unusual14cd.patch: quirk for 14cd:6600 [#274087]
  • patches.fixes/reiserfs-change_generation_on_update_sd.diff: fix assertion failure in reiserfs [#274288]
  • patches.drivers/d-link-dge-530t-should-use-the-skge-driver.patch: D-Link DGE-530T should use the skge driver [#275376]
  • patches.arch/ia64-dont-unwind-running-tasks.patch: Only unwind non-running tasks [#275854]
  • patches.fixes/dm-mpath-rdac-avt-support: short circuit RDAC hardware handler in AVT mode [#277834]
  • patches.fixes/lkcd-re-enable-valid_phys_addr_range: re-enable the valid_phys_addr_range() check [#279433]
  • patches.drivers/cciss-panic-on-reboot: when root filesystem is xfs the server cannot do a second reboot [#279436] Also resolves same issue in [#291759].
  • patches.drivers/ide-hpt366-fix-302n-oops: fix hpt302n oops [#279705]
  • patches.fixes/serial-8250-backup-timer-2-deadlock-fix: fix possible deadlock [#280771]
  • patches.fixes/nfs-osync-error-return: ensure proper error return from O_SYNC writes [#280833]
  • patches.fixes/acpi_pci_hotplug_poweroff.patch: ACPI PCI hotplug driver acpiphp unable to power off PCI slot [#281234]
  • patches.drivers/pci-hotplug-acpiphp-remove-hot-plug-parameter-write-to-pci-host-bridge.patch: remove hot plug parameter write to PCI host bridge [#281239]
  • patches.fixes/scsi-set-correct-resid: Incorrect 'resid' field values when using a tape device [#281640]
  • patches.drivers/usb-edgeport-epic-support.patch: USB: add EPIC support to the io_edgeport driver [#281921]
  • patches.fixes/usb-hid-ncr-no-init-reports.patch: HID: Don't initialize reports for NCR devices [#281921]
  • patches.drivers/ppc-power6-ehea.patch: use decimal values in sysfs propery logical_port_id, fix panic when adding / removing logical eHEA ports [#283070]
  • patches.arch/ppc-power6-ebus.patch: DLPAR Adapter add/remove functionality for eHEA [#283239]
  • patches.fixes/nfs-enospc: Return ENOSPC and EDQUOT to NFS write requests more promptly [#284042]
  • patches.drivers/pci-hotplug-acpiphp-avoid-acpiphp-cannot-get-bridge-info-pci-hotplug-failure.patch: PCI: hotplug: acpiphp: avoid acpiphp "cannot get bridge info" PCI hotplug failure [#286193]
  • patches.drivers/lpfc-8.1.10.9-update: lpfc update to 8.1.10.9 [#286223]
  • patches.fixes/make-swappiness-safer-to-use.patch: Handle low swappiness gracefully [#288799]
  • patches.arch/ppc-oprofile-power5plusplus.patch: oprofile support for Power 5++ [#289223]
  • patches.drivers/ppc-power6-ehea.patch: Fixed possible kernel panic on VLAN packet recv [#289301]
  • patches.fixes/igrab_should_check_for_i_clear.patch: igrab() should check for I_CLEAR [#289576]
  • patches.fixes/wait_for_sysfs_population.diff: Driver core: bus device event delay [#289964]
  • patches.drivers/scsi-throttle-SG_DXFER_TO_FROM_DEV-warning-better: better throttling of SG_DXFER_TO_FROM_DEV warning messages [#290117]
  • patches.arch/mark-unwind-info-for-signal-trampolines-in-vdsos.patch: Mark unwind info for signal trampolines in vDSOs [#291421]
  • patches.fixes/hugetlbfs-stack-grows-fix.patch: don't allow the stack to grow into hugetlb reserved regions [#294021]
  • patches.drivers/alsa-post-sp1-hda-analog-update: add support of of missing AD codecs [#294471]
  • patches.drivers/alsa-post-sp1-hda-conexant-fixes: fix unterminated arrays [#294480]
  • patches.fixes/fix_hpet_init_race.patch: fix a race in HPET initialization on x86_64 resulting in a lockup on boot [#295115]
  • patches.drivers/alsa-post-sp1-hda-sigmatel-pin-fix: Fix number of pin widgets with STAC codecs [#295653]
  • patches.fixes/pci-pcieport-driver-remove-invalid-warning-message.patch: PCI: pcieport-driver: remove invalid warning message [#297135] [#298561]
  • patches.kernel.org/patch-2.6.16.NN-$((NN+1)), NN = 18,...,52: update to Kernel 2.6.16.53; lots of bugfixes [#298719] [#186582] [#186583] [#186584]
  • patches.fixes/ocfs2-1.2-svn-r3027.diff: proactive patch [#298845]
  • patches.drivers/b44-phy-fix: Fix frequent PHY resets under load on b44 [#301653]
  • dd patches.arch/ppc-eeh-node-status-okay.patch firmware returns "okay" instead of "ok" for node status [#301788]

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: rpm -Fvh kernel-*.rpm
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