4.9 - RHSA-2011:1418

Problem Description:

Updated kernel packages that fix one security issue are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 Long Life.

The Red Hat Security Response Team has rated this update as having moderate security impact. A Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) base score, which gives a detailed severity rating, is available from the CVE link in the References section.

2. Relevant releases/architectures:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (v. 5.3.LL server) - i386, ia64, noarch, x86_64

3. Description:

The kernel packages contain the Linux kernel, the core of any Linux operating system.

This update fixes the following security issue:

* A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's clock implementation on 32-bit, SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) systems. A local, unprivileged user could use this flaw to cause a divide error fault, resulting in a denial of service. (CVE-2011-3209, Moderate)

Red Hat would like to thank Yasuaki Ishimatsu for reporting this issue.

Users should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain a backported patch to correct this issue. The system must be rebooted for this update to take effect.

4. Solution:

Before applying this update, make sure all previously-released errata relevant to your system have been applied.

This update is available via the Red Hat Network. Details on how to use the Red Hat Network to apply this update are available at https://access.redhat.com/kb/docs/DOC-11259

To install kernel packages manually, use "rpm -ivh [package]". Do not use "rpm -Uvh" as that will remove the running kernel binaries from your system. You may use "rpm -e" to remove old kernels after determining that the new kernel functions properly on your system.

5. Bugs fixed (http://bugzilla.redhat.com/):

732878 - CVE-2011-3209 kernel: panic occurs when clock_gettime() is called