7.5 - RHSA-2004:383

Problem Description:

Updated glibc packages that fix a security flaw in the resolver as well as dlclose handling are now available.

2. Relevant releases/architectures:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS (Advanced Server) version 2.1 - i386, i686, ia64 Red Hat Linux Advanced Workstation 2.1 - ia64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES version 2.1 - i386, i686 Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS version 2.1 - i386, i686

3. Problem description:

The GNU libc packages (known as glibc) contain the standard C libraries used by applications.

A security audit of the glibc packages in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 found a flaw in the resolver library which was originally reported as affecting versions of ISC BIND 4.9. This flaw also applied to glibc versions before 2.3.2. An attacker who is able to send DNS responses (perhaps by creating a malicious DNS server) could remotely exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2002-0029 to this issue.

These updated packages also fix a dlclose function bug on certain shared libraries, which caused program crashes.

All users of glibc should upgrade to these updated packages, which resolve these issues.

4. Solution:

Before applying this update, make sure that all previously-released errata relevant to your system have been applied. Use Red Hat Network to download and update your packages. To launch the Red Hat Update Agent, use the following command:

up2date

For information on how to install packages manually, refer to the following Web page for the System Administration or Customization guide specific to your system:

http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/

5. Bug IDs fixed (http://bugzilla.redhat.com/ for more info):

120907 - umount passes randmon flags to sys_umount in kernel