RHSA-2002:301 - Security Advisory

Topic

Updated PostgreSQL packages are available which correct
several minor security vulnerabilities.

[Updated 06 Feb 2003]
Added fixed packages for Advanced Workstation 2.1

Description

PostgreSQL is an advanced Object-Relational database management system
(DBMS). Red Hat Linux Advanced Server 2.1 shipped with PostgreSQL version
7.1.3 which has several security vulnerabilities.

Buffer overflows in PostgreSQL 7.2 allow attackers to cause a denial of
service and possibly execute arbitrary code via long arguments to the lpad
or rpad functions. CAN-2002-0972

Buffer overflow in the cash_words() function for PostgreSQL 7.2 and
earlier allows local users to cause a denial of service and possibly
execute arbitrary code via a malformed argument. CAN-2002-1397

Buffer overflow in the date parser for PostgreSQL before 7.2.2 allows
attackers to cause a denial of service and possibly execute arbitrary
code via a long date string, referred to as a vulnerability "in handling
long datetime input." CAN-2002-1398

Heap-based buffer overflow in the repeat() function for PostgreSQL
before 7.2.2 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by causing
repeat() to generate a large string. CAN-2002-1400

Buffer overflows in circle_poly, path_encode, and path_add allow attackers
to cause a denial of service and possibly execute arbitrary code. Note
that these issues have been fixed in our packages and in PostgreSQL CVS,
but are not included in PostgreSQL version 7.2.2 or 7.2.3. CAN-2002-1401

Buffer overflows in the TZ and SET TIME ZONE enivronment variables for
PostgreSQL 7.2.1 and earlier allow local users to cause a denial of service
and possibly execute arbitrary code. CAN-2002-1402

Note that these vulnerabilities are only critical on open or shared systems
because connecting to the database is required before the vulnerabilities
can be exploited.

The PostgreSQL Global Development Team has released versions of PostgreSQL
that fix these vulnerabilities, and these fixes have been isolated and
backported into the updated 7.1.3 packages provided with this errata.
All users of Red Hat Linux Advanced Server 2.1 who use PostgreSQL are
advised to install these updated packages.

Solution

This update corrects all of the above-mentioned buffer overruns.

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

Please note that 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.

Note that no initdb will be necessary from previous PostgreSQL 7.1.3 packages.

Affected Products

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 2 ia64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 2 ia64

Fixes

CVEs

• CVE-2002-1402
• CVE-2002-1401
• CVE-2002-1400
• CVE-2002-1398
• CVE-2002-1397
• CVE-2002-0972

References

(none)