7.2 - RHSA-2005:782

Problem Description:

Updated util-linux and mount packages that fix two 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:

The util-linux package contains a large variety of low-level system utilities that are necessary for a Linux system to function.

The mount package contains the mount, umount, swapon and swapoff programs.

A bug was found in the way the umount command is executed by normal users. It may be possible for a user to gain elevated privileges if the user is able to execute the "umount -r" command on a mounted file system. The file system will be re-mounted only with the "readonly" flag set, clearing flags such as "nosuid" and "noexec". The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2005-2876 to this issue.

This update also fixes a hardlink bug in the script command for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1. If a local user places a hardlinked file named "typescript" in a directory they have write access to, the file will be overwritten if the user running script has write permissions to the destination file. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2001-1494 to this issue.

All users of util-linux and mount should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backported patches to correct these issues.

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/):

161337 - CAN-2001-1494 hardlink vulnerability in 'script' command 168206 - CAN-2005-2876 umount unsafe -r usage 168209 - CAN-2005-2876 umount unsafe -r usage