Security update for Linux kernel

Knowledgebase

(Last modified: 01JUL2004)

solutions Security update for Linux kernel SuSE Linux Maintenance Web (ab6bcb849a4cde76495d467fd7b4e5ae)

Applies to

Product(s): SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 for AMD64

Package: k_deflt
k_numa
k_smp
kernel-source
Release: 20040701
Obsoletes: 491c188aa1320d8bee4b914e270b605b

Indications

Everyone using the Linux Kernel on x86_64 architecture should update.

Contraindications

None.

Problem description

This kernel update fixes several security critical bugs that range from local denial-of-service conditions to possible privilege escalation.

chown: users can change the group affiliation of arbitrary files to the group they belong to
pss, mpu401 sound driver: read/write to complete memory
airo driver: read/write to complete memory
ALSA: copy_from_user/copy_to_user confused
acpi_asus: read from random memory
decnet: write to memory without checking
e1000 driver: read complete memory

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 k_deflt-2.4.*.rpm for the default kernel image, or
rpm -Fhv k_smp-2.4.*.rpm for the SMP kernel image, or
rpm -Fhv k_numa-2.4.*.rpm for the NUMA kernel image

(N.B.: 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

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 for AMD64 (x86_64)

Download Source Packages

Download the source code of the patches for maintained products.

Disclaimer

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