4.7 - RHSA-2005:476

Problem Description:

Updated OpenSSL packages that fix security issues are now available.

This update has been rated as having moderate security impact by the Red Hat Security Response Team.

2. Relevant releases/architectures:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS (Advanced Server) version 2.1 - i386, ia64 Red Hat Linux Advanced Workstation 2.1 - ia64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES version 2.1 - i386 Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS version 2.1 - i386 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 Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS version 4 - i386, ia64, ppc, s390, s390x, x86_64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop version 4 - i386, x86_64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES version 4 - i386, ia64, x86_64 Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS version 4 - i386, ia64, x86_64

3. Problem description:

OpenSSL is a toolkit that implements Secure Sockets Layer (SSL v2/v3) and Transport Layer Security (TLS v1) protocols as well as a full-strength general purpose cryptography library.

Colin Percival reported a cache timing attack that could allow a malicious local user to gain portions of cryptographic keys. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) assigned the name CAN-2005-0109 to the issue. The OpenSSL library has been patched to add a new fixed-window mod_exp implementation as default for RSA, DSA, and DH private-key operations. This patch is designed to mitigate cache timing and potentially related attacks.

A flaw was found in the way the der_chop script creates temporary files. It is possible that a malicious local user could cause der_chop to overwrite files (CAN-2004-0975). The der_chop script was deprecated and has been removed from these updated packages. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 did not ship der_chop and is therefore not vulnerable to this issue.

Users are advised to update to these erratum packages which contain patches to correct these issues.

Please note: After installing this update, users are advised to either restart all services that use OpenSSL or restart their system.

4. Solution:

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

This update is available via Red Hat Network. 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.

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

136302 - CAN-2004-0975 temporary file vulnerabilities in der_chop script 140061 - CAN-2004-0975 temporary file vulnerabilities in der_chop script 157631 - CAN-2005-0109 timing attack on OpenSSL with HT