Audit Linux privileges now to limit compromise, escalation, and system-wide damage. Review Linux Privileges×

Alerts This Week
Warning Icon 1 501
Alerts This Week
Warning Icon 1 501

Red Hat: RHSA-2014-0791-01 Critical: mod_wsgi Vulnerability Advisory

red hat
Calendar Grey June 25, 2014
Scroller Redhat
Vital mod_wsgi security patch for Red Hat addresses privilege escalation and memory leak vulnerabilities. Update recommended.
An updated mod_wsgi package that fixes two security issues is now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

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/site/articles/11258

Summary

The mod_wsgi adapter is an Apache module that provides a WSGI-compliant interface for hosting Python-based web applications within Apache.
It was found that mod_wsgi did not properly drop privileges if the call to setuid() failed. If mod_wsgi was set up to allow unprivileged users to run WSGI applications, a local user able to run a WSGI application could possibly use this flaw to escalate their privileges on the system. (CVE-2014-0240)
Note: mod_wsgi is not intended to provide privilege separation for WSGI applications. Systems relying on mod_wsgi to limit or sandbox the privileges of mod_wsgi applications should migrate to a different solution with proper privilege separation.
It was discovered that mod_wsgi could leak memory of a hosted web application via the "Content-Type" header. A remote attacker could possibly use this flaw to disclose limited portions of the web application's memory. (CVE-2014-0242)
Red Hat would like to thank Graham Dumpleton for reporting these issues. Upstream acknowledges Róbert Kisteleki as the original reporter of CVE-2014-0240, and Buck Golemon as the original reporter of CVE-2014-0242.
All mod_wsgi users are advised to upgrade to this updated package, which contains backported patches to correct these issues.

Topics%20covered

Topics Covered

security advisory red hat important memory leak apache module escalation risk mod_wsgi

References

https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-0240 https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-0242 https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/#important

Package List

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop Optional (v. 6):
Source: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.src.rpm
i386: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.i686.rpm mod_wsgi-debuginfo-3.2-6.el6_5.i686.rpm
x86_64: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.x86_64.rpm mod_wsgi-debuginfo-3.2-6.el6_5.x86_64.rpm
Red Hat Enterprise Linux HPC Node Optional (v. 6):
Source: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.src.rpm
x86_64: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.x86_64.rpm mod_wsgi-debuginfo-3.2-6.el6_5.x86_64.rpm
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 6):
Source: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.src.rpm
i386: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.i686.rpm mod_wsgi-debuginfo-3.2-6.el6_5.i686.rpm
ppc64: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.ppc64.rpm mod_wsgi-debuginfo-3.2-6.el6_5.ppc64.rpm
s390x: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.s390x.rpm mod_wsgi-debuginfo-3.2-6.el6_5.s390x.rpm
x86_64: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.x86_64.rpm mod_wsgi-debuginfo-3.2-6.el6_5.x86_64.rpm
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 6):
Source: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.src.rpm
i386: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.i686.rpm mod_wsgi-debuginfo-3.2-6.el6_5.i686.rpm
x86_64: mod_wsgi-3.2-6.el6_5.x86_64.rpm mod_wsgi-debuginfo-3.2-6.el6_5.x86_64.rpm
These packages are GPG signed by Red Hat for security. Our key and details on how to verify the signature are available from https://access.redhat.com/security/team/key/#package


Severity
important
Lowest
Low
Medium
High
Critical

Advisory ID: RHSA-2014:0788-01
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Advisory URL: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014:0788.html
Issue date: 2014-06-25

Topic

An updated mod_wsgi package that fixes two security issues is now availablefor Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.The Red Hat Security Response Team has rated this update as havingImportant security impact. Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) basescores, which give detailed severity ratings, are available for eachvulnerability from the CVE links in the References section.

Topics%20covered

Topics Covered

security advisory red hat important memory leak apache module escalation risk mod_wsgi

Relevant Releases Architectures

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop Optional (v. 6) - i386, x86_64

Red Hat Enterprise Linux HPC Node Optional (v. 6) - x86_64

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 6) - i386, ppc64, s390x, x86_64

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 6) - i386, x86_64

Bugs Fixed

1101863 - CVE-2014-0240 mod_wsgi: possible privilege escalation in setuid() failure scenarios

1101873 - CVE-2014-0242 mod_wsgi: information leak

Get the latest News and Insights

Get the latest Linux and open source security news straight to your inbox.