Issued:
2010-09-28
Updated:
2010-09-28

RHSA-2010:0719 - Important: kernel security update

Synopsis

Important: kernel security update

Type/Severity

Security Advisory Important

Topic

Updated kernel packages that fix one security issue are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.7 Extended Update Support.

The Red Hat Security Response Team has rated this update as having important security impact. A Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) base score, which gives a detailed severity rating, is available from the CVE link in the References section.

Description

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

This update fixes the following security issue:

  • The compat_alloc_user_space() function in the Linux kernel 32/64-bit compatibility layer implementation was missing sanity checks. This function could be abused in other areas of the Linux kernel if its length argument can be controlled from user-space. On 64-bit systems, a local, unprivileged user could use this flaw to escalate their privileges. (CVE-2010-3081, Important)

Red Hat would like to thank Ben Hawkes for reporting this issue.

Refer to Knowledgebase article DOC-40265 for further details: This content is not included.https://access.redhat.com/kb/docs/DOC-40265

Users should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain a backported patch to correct this issue. The system must be rebooted for this update to take effect.

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 This content is not included.http://kbase.redhat.com/faq/docs/DOC-11259

To install kernel packages manually, use "rpm -ivh [package]". Do not use "rpm -Uvh" as that will remove the running kernel binaries from your system. You may use "rpm -e" to remove old kernels after determining that the new kernel functions properly on your system.

Affected Products

ProductVersionArch
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for x86_64 - Extended Update Support4.7x86_64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for x86_64 - Extended Update Support4.7ia64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for x86_64 - Extended Update Support4.7i386
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power, big endian - Extended Update Support4.7ppc
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM z Systems - Extended Update Support4.7s390x
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM z Systems - Extended Update Support4.7s390

Updated Packages

  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.x86_64.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.x86_64.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.ia64.rpm
  • kernel-smp-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-xenU-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.ppc64iseries.rpm
  • kernel-largesmp-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.x86_64.rpm
  • kernel-doc-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.noarch.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.ia64.rpm
  • kernel-largesmp-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.ia64.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.ppc64.rpm
  • kernel-smp-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.x86_64.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.s390.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.ppc64iseries.rpm
  • kernel-smp-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.x86_64.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-largesmp-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.x86_64.rpm
  • kernel-xenU-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.x86_64.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.s390x.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.s390.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.s390x.rpm
  • kernel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.src.rpm
  • kernel-xenU-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.ppc64.rpm
  • kernel-hugemem-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-smp-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-largesmp-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.ppc64.rpm
  • kernel-hugemem-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-largesmp-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.ppc64.rpm
  • kernel-xenU-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.x86_64.rpm
  • kernel-devel-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.i686.rpm
  • kernel-largesmp-2.6.9-78.0.33.EL.ia64.rpm

Fixes

CVEs

References

Additional information