Synopsis

vixie-cron security update

Type/Severity

Security Advisory: Low

Topic

An updated vixie-cron package that fixes various bugs and a security issue
is now available.

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

Description

The vixie-cron package contains the Vixie version of cron. Cron is a
standard UNIX daemon that runs specified programs at scheduled times.

A bug was found in the way vixie-cron installs new crontab files. It is
possible for a local attacker to execute the crontab command in such a way
that they can view the contents of another user's crontab file. The Common
Vulnerabilities and Exposures project assigned the name CAN-2005-1038 to
this issue.

Additionally, this update addresses the following issues:

o Fixed improper limits on filename and command line lengths
o Improved PAM access control conforming to EAL certification requirements
o Improved reliability when running in a chroot environment
o Mail recipient name checking disabled by default, can be re-enabled
o Added '-p' "permit all crontabs" option to disable crontab mode checking

All users of vixie-cron should upgrade to this updated package, which
contains backported patches and is not vulnerable to these issues.

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 4 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 4 ia64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 4 i386
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 4 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 4 ia64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 4 i386
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop 4 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop 4 i386
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM z Systems 4 s390x
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM z Systems 4 s390
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power, big endian 4 ppc

Fixes

• BZ - 147636 - cron fails to run user jobs and gives vague error message
• BZ - 154920 - CAN-2005-1038 vixie-cron information leak
• BZ - 159216 - vixie-cron updates for new audit system
• BZ - 163881 - Cron no longer allows read-only crontabs, enforces write access
• BZ - 163882 - cron fails with pam_access
• BZ - 163885 - crontab truncates file names greater than 100 characters.
• BZ - 163888 - CAN-2005-1038 vixie-cron information leak
• BZ - 163889 - [PATCH] List corruption when items are removed from /etc/cron.d

CVEs

• CVE-2005-1038

References

• http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/395093

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 4

SRPM
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.src.rpm	SHA-256: 5118bb88bfa743a057d0ca1e159a62496efac39190cc3edda80ad02578f1faa6
x86_64
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.x86_64.rpm	SHA-256: 005c50eeed4bf60919d8db9db501ad1aef8d58773ff42eb8e75cb885aa3c0e5d
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.x86_64.rpm	SHA-256: 005c50eeed4bf60919d8db9db501ad1aef8d58773ff42eb8e75cb885aa3c0e5d
ia64
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.ia64.rpm	SHA-256: 00d17ab671ab8f32d93f7c2ac8b6b15a9fe37e6ba04b87b5d5aebab691f50a04
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.ia64.rpm	SHA-256: 00d17ab671ab8f32d93f7c2ac8b6b15a9fe37e6ba04b87b5d5aebab691f50a04
i386
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.i386.rpm	SHA-256: eceaa37e85f54a13fcd9eab8f2800d9dea6c2c8a4bb9bf9662d8ebab346a9740
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.i386.rpm	SHA-256: eceaa37e85f54a13fcd9eab8f2800d9dea6c2c8a4bb9bf9662d8ebab346a9740

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 4

SRPM
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.src.rpm	SHA-256: 5118bb88bfa743a057d0ca1e159a62496efac39190cc3edda80ad02578f1faa6
x86_64
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.x86_64.rpm	SHA-256: 005c50eeed4bf60919d8db9db501ad1aef8d58773ff42eb8e75cb885aa3c0e5d
ia64
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.ia64.rpm	SHA-256: 00d17ab671ab8f32d93f7c2ac8b6b15a9fe37e6ba04b87b5d5aebab691f50a04
i386
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.i386.rpm	SHA-256: eceaa37e85f54a13fcd9eab8f2800d9dea6c2c8a4bb9bf9662d8ebab346a9740

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop 4

SRPM
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.src.rpm	SHA-256: 5118bb88bfa743a057d0ca1e159a62496efac39190cc3edda80ad02578f1faa6
x86_64
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.x86_64.rpm	SHA-256: 005c50eeed4bf60919d8db9db501ad1aef8d58773ff42eb8e75cb885aa3c0e5d
i386
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.i386.rpm	SHA-256: eceaa37e85f54a13fcd9eab8f2800d9dea6c2c8a4bb9bf9662d8ebab346a9740

Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM z Systems 4

SRPM
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.src.rpm	SHA-256: 5118bb88bfa743a057d0ca1e159a62496efac39190cc3edda80ad02578f1faa6
s390x
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.s390x.rpm	SHA-256: 27e34b237af96422899c57fd1933a0a6aec75821dc09f5184d8b04d85953fb1f
s390
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.s390.rpm	SHA-256: 39b1bc211b6d8effdf1f3b5af018639d00a26fccf864805df58c59dc408372ce

Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power, big endian 4

SRPM
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.src.rpm	SHA-256: 5118bb88bfa743a057d0ca1e159a62496efac39190cc3edda80ad02578f1faa6
ppc
vixie-cron-4.1-36.EL4.ppc.rpm	SHA-256: 3dd83b298ce8c305f35424772753a824fd41acd1133032285147ec8aa551b42f