7.2 - RHSA-2012:0690

Problem Description:

Updated kernel packages that fix one security issue and various bugs are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.

The Red Hat Security Response Team has rated this update as having important 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 server) - i386, ia64, noarch, ppc, s390x, x86_64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop (v. 5 client) - i386, 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:

* It was found that the data_len parameter of the sock_alloc_send_pskb() function in the Linux kernel's networking implementation was not validated before use. A local user with access to a TUN/TAP virtual interface could use this flaw to crash the system or, potentially, escalate their privileges. Note that unprivileged users cannot access TUN/TAP devices until the root user grants them access. (CVE-2012-2136, Important)

This update also fixes various bugs. Documentation for these changes will be available shortly from the Technical Notes document linked to in the References section.

Users should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backported patches to correct this issue, and fix the bugs noted in the Technical Notes. 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/knowledge/articles/11258

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/):

816289 - CVE-2012-2136 kernel: net: insufficient data_len validation in sock_alloc_send_pskb()