Issued:
2005-06-08
Updated:
2005-08-09

RHSA-2005:420 - Updated kernel packages available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 1

Synopsis

Updated kernel packages available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 1

Type/Severity

Security Advisory Important

Topic

Updated kernel packages are now available as part of ongoing support and maintenance of Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 4. This is the first regular update.

[Updated 9 August 2005] The advisory text has been updated to show that this update also contained fixes for the security issues named CAN-2005-0209 and CAN-2005-0937. No changes have been made to the packages associated with this advisory.

Description

The Linux kernel handles the basic functions of the operating system.

This is the first regular kernel update to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.

A flaw affecting the auditing code was discovered. On Itanium architectures a local user could use this flaw to cause a denial of service (crash). This issue is rated as having important security impact (CAN-2005-0136).

A flaw was discovered in the servicing of a raw device ioctl. A local user who has access to raw devices could use this flaw to write to kernel memory and cause a denial of service or potentially gain privileges. This issue is rated as having moderate security impact (CAN-2005-1264).

A flaw in fragment forwarding was discovered that affected the netfilter subsystem for certain network interface cards. A remote attacker could send a set of bad fragments and cause a denial of service (system crash). Acenic and SunGEM network interfaces were the only adapters affected, which are in widespread use. (CAN-2005-0209)

A flaw in the futex functions was discovered affecting the Linux 2.6 kernel. A local user could use this flaw to cause a denial of service (system crash). (CAN-2005-0937)

New features introduced by this update include:

  • Fixed TCP BIC congestion handling.
  • Diskdump support for more controllers (megaraid, SATA)
  • Device mapper multipath support
  • AMD64 dual core support.
  • Intel ICH7 hardware support.

There were many bug fixes in various parts of the kernel. The ongoing effort to resolve these problems has resulted in a marked improvement in the reliability and scalability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.

The following device drivers have been upgraded to new versions: ata_piix -------- 1.03 bonding --------- 2.6.1 e1000 ----------- 5.6.10.1-k2-NAPI e100 ------------ 3.3.6-k2-NAPI ibmveth --------- 1.03 libata ---------- 1.02 to 1.10 lpfc ------------ 0:8.0.16 to 0:8.0.16.6_x2 megaraid_mbox --- 2.20.4.0 to 2.20.4.5 megaraid_mm ----- 2.20.2.0-rh1 to 2.20.2.5 sata_nv --------- 0.03 to 0.6 sata_promise ---- 1.00 to 1.01 sata_sil -------- 0.8 sata_sis -------- 0.5 sata_svw -------- 1.05 sata_sx4 -------- 0.7 sata_via -------- 1.0 sata_vsc -------- 1.0 tg3 ------------- 3.22-rh ipw2100 --------- 1.0.3 ipw2200 --------- 1.0.0

All Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 users are advised to upgrade their kernels to the packages associated with their machine architectures and configurations as listed in this erratum.

Solution

Before applying this update, make sure that all previously-released errata relevant to your system have been applied. Use Red Hat Network to download and update your packages. To launch the Red Hat Update Agent, use the following command:

up2date

For information on how to install packages manually, refer to the following Web page for the System Administration or Customization guide specific to your system:

This content is not included.http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/

Affected Products

ProductVersionArch
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power, big endian4ppc
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM z Systems4s390x
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM z Systems4s390
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation4x86_64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation4ia64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation4i386
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server4x86_64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server4ia64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server4i386
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop4x86_64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop4i386

Updated Packages

  • kernel-doc-2.6.9-11.EL.noarch.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-11.EL.ia64.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-11.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-11.EL.ppc64.rpm
  • kernel-hugemem-devel-2.6.9-11.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-11.EL.ppc64iseries.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-11.EL.src.rpm
  • kernel-smp-2.6.9-11.EL.x86_64.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-11.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-11.EL.ppc64.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-11.EL.ia64.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-11.EL.s390.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-11.EL.s390.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-11.EL.s390x.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-11.EL.x86_64.rpm
  • kernel-smp-2.6.9-11.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-smp-devel-2.6.9-11.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-smp-devel-2.6.9-11.EL.x86_64.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-11.EL.x86_64.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-11.EL.s390x.rpm
  • kernel-hugemem-2.6.9-11.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-11.EL.ppc64iseries.rpm

Fixes

CVEs

References

(none)

Additional information