RHSA-2005:175 - Security Advisory

Topic

Updated kdenetwork packages that fix a file descriptor leak are now available.

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

Description

The kdenetwork packages contain a collection of networking applications for
the K Desktop Environment.

A bug was found in the way kppp handles privileged file descriptors. A
malicious local user could make use of this flaw to modify the /etc/hosts
or /etc/resolv.conf files, which could be used to spoof domain information.
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has
assigned the name CAN-2005-0205 to this issue.

Please note that the default installation of kppp on Red Hat Enterprise
Linux uses consolehelper and is not vulnerable to this issue. However, the
kppp FAQ provides instructions for removing consolehelper and running kppp
suid root, which is a vulnerable configuration.

Users of kdenetwork should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain
a backported patch, and are not vulnerable to this issue.

Solution

Before applying this update, make sure that all previously-released
errata relevant to your system have been applied. Use Red Hat
Network to download and update your packages. To launch the Red Hat
Update Agent, use the following command:

up2date

For information on how to install packages manually, refer to the
following Web page for the System Administration or Customization
guide specific to your system:

http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/

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 Server 2 ia64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 2 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 Workstation 2 ia64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 2 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 - 148912 - CAN-2005-0205 kppp local domain name hijacking

CVEs

• CVE-2005-0205

References

(none)