RHSA-2011:1418 - Security Advisory

Topic

Updated kernel packages that fix one security issue are now available for
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 Long Life.

The Red Hat Security Response Team has rated this update as having moderate
security impact. A Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) base score,
which gives a detailed severity rating, is available from the CVE link in
the References section.

Description

The kernel packages contain the Linux kernel, the core of any Linux
operating system.

This update fixes the following security issue:

• A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's clock implementation on 32-bit,

SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) systems. A local, unprivileged user could
use this flaw to cause a divide error fault, resulting in a denial of
service. (CVE-2011-3209, Moderate)

Red Hat would like to thank Yasuaki Ishimatsu for reporting this issue.

Users should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain a backported
patch to correct this issue. The system must be rebooted for this update to
take effect.

Solution

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

This update is available via the Red Hat Network. Details on how to
use the Red Hat Network to apply this update are available at
https://access.redhat.com/kb/docs/DOC-11259

To install kernel packages manually, use "rpm -ivh [package]". Do not
use "rpm -Uvh" as that will remove the running kernel binaries from
your system. You may use "rpm -e" to remove old kernels after
determining that the new kernel functions properly on your system.

Affected Products

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server - AUS 5.3 x86_64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server - AUS 5.3 ia64
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server - AUS 5.3 i386

Fixes

• BZ - 732878 - CVE-2011-3209 kernel: panic occurs when clock_gettime() is called

CVEs

• CVE-2011-3209

References

• https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/#moderate