Scientific Linux: CVE-2011-2483 Moderate PostgreSQL Password Strength Issue

Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:30:49 -0500
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Sender: Security Errata for Scientific Linux
 
From: Pat Riehecky 
Subject: Security ERRATA Moderate: postgresql on SL4.x, SL5.x,
 SL6.x i386/x86_64
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Synopsis: Moderate: postgresql security update
Issue Date: 2011-10-17
CVE Numbers: CVE-2011-2483

PostgreSQL is an advanced object-relational database management system
(DBMS).

A signedness issue was found in the way the crypt() function in the
PostgreSQL pgcrypto module handled 8-bit characters in passwords when using
Blowfish hashing. Up to three characters immediately preceding a non-ASCII
character (one with the high bit set) had no effect on the hash result,
thus shortening the effective password length. This made brute-force
guessing more efficient as several different passwords were hashed to the
same value. (CVE-2011-2483)

Note: Due to the CVE-2011-2483 fix, after installing this update some usersmay not be able to log in to applications that store user passwords, hashed
with Blowfish using the PostgreSQL crypt() function, in a back-end
PostgreSQL database. Unsafe processing can be re-enabled for specific
passwords (allowing affected users to log in) by changing their hash prefix
to "$2x$".

For Scientific Linux 6, the updated postgresql packages upgrade
PostgreSQL to version 8.4.9. Refer to the PostgreSQL Release Notes for a
full list of changes:

https://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.4/release.html

For Scientific Linux 4 and 5, the updated postgresql packages
contain a backported patch.

All PostgreSQL users are advised to upgrade to these updated packages,
which correct this issue. If the postgresql service is running, it will be
automatically restarted after installing this update.

SL4:
 i386
 postgresql-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-contrib-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-debuginfo-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-devel-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-docs-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-jdbc-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-libs-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-pl-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-python-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-server-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-tcl-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-test-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 x86_64
 postgresql-7.4.30-3.el4.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-contrib-7.4.30-3.el4.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-debuginfo-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-debuginfo-7.4.30-3.el4.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-devel-7.4.30-3.el4.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-docs-7.4.30-3.el4.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-jdbc-7.4.30-3.el4.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-libs-7.4.30-3.el4.i386.rpm
 postgresql-libs-7.4.30-3.el4.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-pl-7.4.30-3.el4.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-python-7.4.30-3.el4.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-server-7.4.30-3.el4.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-tcl-7.4.30-3.el4.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-test-7.4.30-3.el4.x86_64.rpm
SL5:
 i386
 postgresql-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-contrib-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-debuginfo-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-devel-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-docs-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-libs-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-pl-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-python-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-server-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-tcl-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-test-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 x86_64
 postgresql-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-contrib-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-debuginfo-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-debuginfo-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-devel-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-devel-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-docs-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-libs-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.i386.rpm
 postgresql-libs-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-pl-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-python-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-server-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-tcl-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-test-8.1.23-1.el5_7.2.x86_64.rpm
SL6:
 i386
 postgresql-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-contrib-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-debuginfo-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-devel-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-docs-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-libs-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-plperl-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-plpython-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-pltcl-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-server-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-test-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 x86_64
 postgresql-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-contrib-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-debuginfo-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-debuginfo-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-devel-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-devel-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-docs-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-libs-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.i686.rpm
 postgresql-libs-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-plperl-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-plpython-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-pltcl-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-server-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.x86_64.rpm
 postgresql-test-8.4.9-1.el6_1.1.x86_64.rpm

- Scientific Linux Development Team