RHSA-2003:114 - Security Advisory

Topic

Updated mod_auth_any packages are available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
These updated packages fix vulnerabilities associated with the manner in
which mod_auth_any escapes shell arguments when calling external programs.

Description

The Web server module mod_auth_any allows the Apache httpd server to
call arbitrary external programs to verify user passwords.

Vulnerabilities have been found in versions of mod_auth_any included in Red
Hat Enterprise Linux concerning the method by which mod_auth_any escapes
shell arguments when calling external programs. These vulnerabilities
allow remote attackers to run arbitrary commands as the user under which
the Web server is running. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures
project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2003-0084 to these issues.

All users are advised to upgrade to these errata packages, which change the
method by which external programs are invoked and, therefore, make these
programs invulnerable to these issues.

Red Hat would like to thank Daniel Jarboe and Maneesh Sahani for bringing
these issues to our attention.

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.

Affected Products

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 2 ia64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 2 i386
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 2 ia64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 2 i386

Fixes

• BZ - 86508 - CAN-2003-0084 mod_auth_any uses unsafe quoting

CVEs

• CVE-2003-0084

References

(none)