Issued:

2013-03-11

Updated:

2013-03-11

RHSA-2013:0621 - Important: kernel security update

Synopsis

Important: kernel security update

Type/Severity

Security Advisory Important

Topic

Updated kernel packages that fix two security issues are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.

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 issues:

• A flaw was found in the way file permission checks for the "/dev/cpu/[x]/msr" files were performed in restricted root environments (for example, when using a capability-based security model). A local user with the ability to write to these files could use this flaw to escalate their privileges to kernel level, for example, by writing to the SYSENTER_EIP_MSR register. (CVE-2013-0268, Important)

• A race condition was found in the way the Linux kernel's ptrace implementation handled PTRACE_SETREGS requests when the debuggee was woken due to a SIGKILL signal instead of being stopped. A local, unprivileged user could use this flaw to escalate their privileges. (CVE-2013-0871, Important)

Users should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backported patches to correct these issues. 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 https://access.redhat.com/knowledge/articles/11258

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

Updated Packages

• kernel-xen-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
• kernel-xen-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
• kernel-PAE-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-kdump-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.s390x.rpm
• kernel-headers-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
• kernel-xen-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-debug-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.s390x.rpm
• kernel-xen-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-debuginfo-common-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ia64.rpm
• kernel-debug-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
• kernel-debug-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ppc64.rpm
• kernel-headers-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ia64.rpm
• kernel-xen-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ia64.rpm
• kernel-doc-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.noarch.rpm
• kernel-debug-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.s390x.rpm
• kernel-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.s390x.rpm
• kernel-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.s390x.rpm
• kernel-PAE-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-kdump-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ppc64.rpm
• kernel-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-headers-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.s390x.rpm
• kernel-debug-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ppc64.rpm
• kernel-headers-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ppc64.rpm
• kernel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
• kernel-debuginfo-common-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
• kernel-debuginfo-common-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-debug-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-debug-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ia64.rpm
• kernel-PAE-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ppc64.rpm
• kernel-kdump-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.s390x.rpm
• kernel-kdump-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.s390x.rpm
• kernel-headers-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i386.rpm
• kernel-debug-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
• kernel-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ppc64.rpm
• kernel-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-debug-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-xen-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ia64.rpm
• kernel-debug-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ia64.rpm
• kernel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.s390x.rpm
• kernel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ia64.rpm
• kernel-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ia64.rpm
• kernel-debug-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ppc64.rpm
• kernel-debuginfo-common-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.s390x.rpm
• kernel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ia64.rpm
• kernel-debug-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.s390x.rpm
• kernel-xen-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-debuginfo-common-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ppc64.rpm
• kernel-debug-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
• kernel-debug-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ia64.rpm
• kernel-debug-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.i686.rpm
• kernel-xen-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
• kernel-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
• kernel-xen-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ia64.rpm
• kernel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.src.rpm
• kernel-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ppc64.rpm
• kernel-kdump-devel-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ppc64.rpm
• kernel-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
• kernel-headers-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ppc.rpm
• kernel-kdump-debuginfo-2.6.18-348.3.1.el5.ppc64.rpm

Fixes

• This content is not included.BZ - 908693
• This content is not included.BZ - 911937

CVEs

• CVE-2013-0871
• CVE-2013-0268

References

• https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/#important

Additional information

• The Red Hat security contact is This content is not included.secalert@redhat.com. More contact details at https://access.redhat.com/security/team/contact/.
• Offline Security Data data is available for integration with other systems. See Offline Security Data API to get started.