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Red Hat: RHSA-2002:065-13 High: Sharutils Uudecode Privilege Escalation

Updated packages for sharutils are available which fix potential privilegeescalation using the uudecode utility.. ` --------------------------------------------------------------------- Red Hat, Inc. Red Hat Security Advisory Synopsis: Updated sharutils package fixes uudecode issue Advisory ID: RHSA-2002:065-13 Issue date: 2002-04-16 Updated on: 2002-05-14 Product: Red Hat Linux Keywords: fifo symlink pipe output file handling uudecode Cross references: Obsoletes: --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Topic: Updated packages for sharutils are available which fix potential privilege escalation using the uudecode utility. 2. Relevant releases/architectures: Red Hat Linux 6.2 - alpha, i386, sparc Red Hat Linux 7.0 - alpha, i386 Red Hat Linux 7.1 - alpha, i386, ia64 Red Hat Linux 7.2 - i386, ia64 3. Problem description: The sharutils package contains a set of tools for encoding and decoding packages of files in binary or text format. The uudecode utility would create an output file without checking to see if it was about to write to a symlink or a pipe. If a user uses uudecode to extract data into open shared directories, such as /tmp, this vulnerability could be used by a local attacker to overwrite files or lead to privilege escalation. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2002-0178 to this issue. Users should update to these errata sharutils packages which contain a version of uudecode that has been patched to check for an existing pipe or symlink output file. 4. Solution: Before applying this update, make sure all previously released errata relevant to your system have been applied. To update all RPMs for your particular architecture, run: rpm -Fvh [filenames] where [filenames] is a list of the RPMs you wish to upgrade. Only those RPMs which are currently installed will be updated. Those RPMs which are not installed butincluded in the list will not be updated. Note that you can also use wildcards (*.rpm) if your current directory *only* contains the desired RPMs. Please note that this update is also available via Red Hat Network. Many people find this an easier way to apply updates. To use Red Hat Network, launch the Red Hat Update Agent with the following command: up2date This will start an interactive process that will result in the appropriate RPMs being upgraded on your system. 5. Bug IDs fixed ( for more info): 6. RPMs required: Red Hat Linux 6.2: SRPMS: alpha: i386: sparc: Red Hat Linux 7.0: SRPMS: alpha: i386: Red Hat Linux 7.1: SRPMS: alpha: i386: ia64: Red Hat Linux 7.2: SRPMS: i386: ia64: 7. Verification: MD5 sum Package Name -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12f79cea5e757283428bfd5e7b0bc564 6.2/en/os/SRPMS/sharutils-4.2.1-2.6.x.src.rpm e8af0b8d4a868cfdca38a423f58fdf12 6.2/en/os/alpha/sharutils-4.2.1-2.6.x.alpha.rpm fb407a76a64f1ea713ed386b8201dcc8 6.2/en/os/i386/sharutils-4.2.1-2.6.x.i386.rpm d878b93bb7fc4fe311f2bcdd94271baf 6.2/en/os/sparc/sharutils-4.2.1-2.6.x.sparc.rpm 230f45ad2b7e945fcf69c61e552b0aa7 7.0/en/os/SRPMS/sharutils-4.2.1-8.7.x.src.rpm 79e971f91f745358513faf93c8ac16bf 7.0/en/os/alpha/sharutils-4.2.1-8.7.x.alpha.rpm 38d89d89bb513d216b1a2a954be6d07b 7.0/en/os/i386/sharutils-4.2.1-8.7.x.i386.rpm 230f45ad2b7e945fcf69c61e552b0aa7 7.1/en/os/SRPMS/sharutils-4.2.1-8.7.x.src.rpm 79e971f91f745358513faf93c8ac16bf 7.1/en/os/alpha/sharutils-4.2.1-8.7.x.alpha.rpm 38d89d89bb513d216b1a2a954be6d07b 7.1/en/os/i386/sharutils-4.2.1-8.7.x.i386.rpm 4f9adbdbff849ee05d718e15121bafb0 7.1/en/os/ia64/sharutils-4.2.1-8.7.x.ia64.rpm 230f45ad2b7e945fcf69c61e552b0aa7 7.2/en/os/SRPMS/sharutils-4.2.1-8.7.x.src.rpm 38d89d89bb513d216b1a2a954be6d07b 7.2/en/os/i386/sharutils-4.2.1-8.7.x.i386.rpm 4f9adbdbff849ee05d718e15121bafb0 7.2/en/os/ia64/sharutils-4.2.1-8.7.x.ia64.rpm These packages are GPGsigned by Red Hat, Inc. for security. Our key is available at: About You can verify each package with the following command: rpm --checksig If you only wish to verify that each package has not been corrupted or tampered with, examine only the md5sum with the following command: rpm --checksig --nogpg 8. References: CVE -CVE-2002-0178 Copyright(c) 2000, 2001, 2002 Red Hat, Inc. `. The recent update from Red Hat regarding sharutils addresses a significant privilege elevation flaw within uudecode. It is highly recommended that users implement the patch without delay.. sharutils, privilege escalation, uudecode, Red Hat, patch. . Severity: Critical. LinuxSecurity.com Team

May 14, 2002 •Critical Red Hat