RHSA-2009-1243: kernel

NASLDB: RHSA-2009-1243: kernel

General

ID: 40835
Name: RHSA-2009-1243: kernel

Summary: Check for the version of the kernel packages

Credits: Tenable Network Security, Inc.

Classification

Risk: –

CVSS: –
CVSS Base Vector: CVSS2#AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
CVSS Temporal Vector: –

Port: 0
Family: Red Hat Local Security Checks
Type: Local

Description

Updated kernel packages that fix security issues, address several hundred
bugs and add numerous enhancements are now available as part of the ongoing
support and maintenance of Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 5. This is the
fourth regular update.

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

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

These updated packages fix the following security issues:

* it was discovered that, when executing a new process, the clear_child_tid
pointer in the Linux kernel is not cleared. If this pointer points to a
writable portion of the memory of the new program, the kernel could corrupt
four bytes of memory, possibly leading to a local denial of service or
privilege escalation. (CVE-2009-2848, Important)

* a flaw was found in the way the do_sigaltstack() function in the Linux
kernel copies the stack_t structure to user-space. On 64-bit machines, this
flaw could lead to a four-byte information leak. (CVE-2009-2847, Moderate)

* a flaw was found in the ext4 file system code. A local attacker could use
this flaw to cause a denial of service by performing a resize operation on
a specially-crafted ext4 file system. (CVE-2009-0745, Low)

* multiple flaws were found in the ext4 file system code. A local attacker
could use these flaws to cause a denial of service by mounting a
specially-crafted ext4 file system. (CVE-2009-0746, CVE-2009-0747,
CVE-2009-0748, Low)

These updated packages also include several hundred bug fixes for and
enhancements to the Linux kernel. Space precludes documenting each of these
changes in this advisory and users are directed to the Red Hat Enterprise
Linux 5.4 Release Notes for information on the most significant of these
changes:

http://www.redhat.com/docs/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/5.4/html/
Release_Notes/

Also, for details concerning every bug fixed in and every enhancement added
to the kernel for this release, see the kernel chapter in the Red Hat
Enterprise Linux 5.4 Technical Notes:

http://www.redhat.com/docs/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/5.4/html/
Technical_Notes/kernel.html

All Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 users are advised to install these updated
packages, which address these vulnerabilities as well as fixing the bugs
and adding the enhancements noted in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4
Release Notes and Technical Notes. The system must be rebooted for this
update to take effect.