10 - RHSA-2004:687

Problem Description:

Updated php packages that fix various security issues and bugs are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.

2. Relevant releases/architectures:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS version 3 - i386, ia64, ppc, s390, s390x, x86_64 Red Hat Desktop version 3 - i386, x86_64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES version 3 - i386, ia64, x86_64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS version 3 - i386, ia64, x86_64

3. Problem description:

PHP is an HTML-embedded scripting language commonly used with the Apache HTTP Web server.

Flaws including possible information disclosure, double free, and negative reference index array underflow were found in the deserialization code of PHP. PHP applications may use the unserialize function on untrusted user data, which could allow a remote attacker to gain access to memory or potentially execute arbitrary code. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2004-1019 to this issue.

A flaw in the exif extension of PHP was found which lead to a stack overflow. An attacker could create a carefully crafted image file in such a way that if parsed by a PHP script using the exif extension it could cause a crash or potentially execute arbitrary code. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2004-1065 to this issue.

An information disclosure bug was discovered in the parsing of "GPC" variables in PHP (query strings or cookies, and POST form data). If particular scripts used the values of the GPC variables, portions of the memory space of an httpd child process could be revealed to the client. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2004-0958 to this issue.

A file access bug was discovered in the parsing of "multipart/form-data" forms, used by PHP scripts which allow file uploads. In particular configurations, some scripts could allow a malicious client to upload files to an arbitrary directory where the "apache" user has write access. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2004-0959 to this issue.

Flaws were found in shmop_write, pack, and unpack PHP functions. These functions are not normally passed user supplied data, so would require a malicious PHP script to be exploited. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2004-1018 to this issue.

Various issues were discovered in the use of the "select" system call in PHP, which could be triggered if PHP is used in an Apache configuration where the number of open files (such as virtual host log files) exceeds the default process limit of 1024. Workarounds are now included for some of these issues.

The "phpize" shell script included in PHP can be used to build third-party extension modules. A build issue was discovered in the "phpize" script on some 64-bit platforms which prevented correct operation.

The "pcntl" extension module is now enabled in the command line PHP interpreter, /usr/bin/php. This module enables process control features such as "fork" and "kill" from PHP scripts.

Users of PHP should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain fixes for these issues.

4. Solution:

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

To update all RPMs for your particular architecture, run:

rpm -Fvh [filenames]

where [filenames] is a list of the RPMs you wish to upgrade. Only those RPMs which are currently installed will be updated. Those RPMs which are not installed but included in the list will not be updated. Note that you can also use wildcards (*.rpm) if your current directory *only* contains the desired RPMs.

Please note that this update is also available via Red Hat Network. Many people find this an easier way to apply updates. To use Red Hat Network, launch the Red Hat Update Agent with the following command:

up2date

This will start an interactive process that will result in the appropriate RPMs being upgraded on your system.

If up2date fails to connect to Red Hat Network due to SSL Certificate Errors, you need to install a version of the up2date client with an updated certificate. The latest version of up2date is available from the Red Hat FTP site and may also be downloaded directly from the RHN website:

https://rhn.redhat.com/help/latest-up2date.pxt

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

131412 - Include process control extension, pcntl 131562 - phpize is broken on x86_64 132003 - fopen doesn't work across remote connections while under Apache 134971 - CAN-2004-0958 PHP variable parsing 134975 - CAN-2004-0959 PHP arbitrary file creation 141132 - CAN-2004-1019 information disclosure issues 142056 - CAN-2004-1065 ext/exif/exif.c - exif_read_data() overflow on long sectionname