Synopsis

openssl security update

Type/Severity

Security Advisory: Important

Topic

Updated OpenSSL packages that fix several remote denial of service
vulnerabilities are available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.

Description

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

Testing performed by the OpenSSL group using the Codenomicon TLS Test Tool
uncovered a null-pointer assignment in the do_change_cipher_spec() function
in OpenSSL 0.9.6c-0.9.6k and 0.9.7a-0.9.7c. A remote attacker could
perform a carefully crafted SSL/TLS handshake against a server that uses
the OpenSSL library in such a way as to cause OpenSSL to crash. Depending
on the application this could lead to a denial of service. The Common
Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name
CAN-2004-0079 to this issue.

Stephen Henson discovered a flaw in SSL/TLS handshaking code when using
Kerberos ciphersuites in OpenSSL 0.9.7a-0.9.7c. A remote attacker could
perform a carefully crafted SSL/TLS handshake against a server configured
to use Kerberos ciphersuites in such a way as to cause OpenSSL to crash.
Most applications have no ability to use Kerberos ciphersuites and will
therefore be unaffected by this issue. The Common Vulnerabilities and
Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2004-0112 to
this issue.

Testing performed by the OpenSSL group using the Codenomicon TLS Test Tool
uncovered a bug in older versions of OpenSSL 0.9.6 prior to 0.9.6d that may
lead to a denial of service attack (infinite loop). The Common
Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name
CAN-2004-0081 to this issue. This issue affects only the OpenSSL
compatibility packages shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.

These updated packages contain patches provided by the OpenSSL group that
protect against these issues.

Additionally, the version of libica included in the OpenSSL packages has
been updated to 1.3.5. This only affects IBM s390 and IBM eServer zSeries
customers and is required for the latest openCryptoki packages.

NOTE: Because server applications are affected by this issue, users are
advised to either restart all services that use OpenSSL functionality or
restart their systems after installing these updates.

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

Affected Products

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 3 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 3 ia64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 3 i386
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 3 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 3 ia64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 3 i386
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop 3 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop 3 i386
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM z Systems 3 s390x
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM z Systems 3 s390
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power, big endian 3 ppc

Fixes

• BZ - 117770 - CAN-2004-0079/0081/0112 Flaws in OpenSSL

CVEs

• CVE-2004-0079
• CVE-2004-0081
• CVE-2004-0112

References

• http://www.codenomicon.com/testtools/tls/
• http://www.niscc.gov.uk/

This erratum does not contain any packages.