January 16th Linux Advisory Watch
January Linux Advisory Watch
Linux Advisory Watch is a comprehensive newsletter that outlines the
security vulnerabilities that have been announced throughout the week.
It includes pointers to updated packages and descriptions of each
vulnerability.
This week, advisories were released for phpgroupware, kernel, jitterbug,
ethereal, kdepim, cvs, kdepim, and tcpdump. The distributors include
Debian, Gentoo, Mandrake, Red Hat, Slackware, SuSE, and Trustix.
Implementing any large security project on the Linux operating system
requires the use of cryptography. Several weeks ago, I wrote about a book
by Fred Piper and Sean Murphy titled, "Cryptography: A Very Short
Introduction." It offers a very good introduction to the subject, but
those wishing to implement cryptography in an open source projects need a
more in-depth understanding of the area. Another excellent resource is
the "Handbook of Applied Cryptography," by Menezes, Oorschot, and
Vanstone. It has often been considered "the bible of cryptography" and
offers a detailed and technical view.
The first several chapters of the book focus on the basics. It gives an
overview and history of cryptography and follows with an explanation of
the mathematics necessary to understand the algorithms. Midway through
the book, it gives detailed information to help the reader understand
stream ciphers, block ciphers, and finally public key encryption. After
the reader has an understanding of the algorithms, the book moves to
explain how they can be used in key establishment protocols. It also
offers chapters on key management and tips for efficient implementation.
For the long time manager, this book may be slightly on the technical
side. However, there are clear benefits for management having an
understanding of technical subjects. Cryptography today offers a very
strong level of protection. It only fails in implementation. For example,
keys are not properly protected or managed. For those of you wishing to
learn a little more about the fascinating subject of cryptography, I
highly recommend this book.
Hard-copies of the book can also be purchased through Amazon or any other
large bookseller.
When any company decides to take on a in-house software development
project, it is essential to include cryptographic mechanisms. Books such
as this, can give programmers the proper knowledge necessary to understand
how cryptography works and how to avoid problems.
Managing Linux Security Effectively in 2004 This article examines the process of proper Linux security management in 2004. First, a system should be hardened and patched. Next, a security routine should be established to ensure that all new vulnerabilities are addressed. Linux security should be treated as an evolving process. -------------------------------------------------------------------- CONCERNED ABOUT THE NEXT THREAT? EnGarde is the undisputed winner! Hardened Linux Puts Hackers EnGarde! Winner of the Network Computing Editor's Choice Award, EnGarde "walked away with our Editor's Choice award thanks to the depth of its security strategy..." Find out what the other Linux vendors are not telling you. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FEATURE: OSVDB: An Independent and Open Source Vulnerability Database This article outlines the origins, purpose, and future of the Open Source Vulnerability Database project. Distribution: Debian phpgroupware Multiple vulnerabilities Improper remote execution and SQL code injection issues. kernel Priv. Escal. additional patches Since DSA 417-1 lacked fixed kernel image files for the alpha architecture these are added now. jitterbug Improper input sanatizing Allows an attacker to execute arbitary commands on server hosting bug database. mod-auth-shadow Account expiration not enforced Improper input sanatizing In this Apache module, expiration status of the user's account and password were not enforced. cvs Multiple vulnerabilities Anyone who could modify the CVSROOT/passwd could gain access to all local users on the CVS server, including root. kernel-image-2.4.17-ia64 Many backported vuln fixes Multiple vulnerabilities The IA-64 maintainers fixed several security related bugs in the Linux kernel 2.4.17 used for the IA-64 architecture, mostly by backporting fixes from 2.4.18. Distribution: Gentoo kernel Privilege escalation vulnerability A critical security vulnerability has been found in recent Linux kernels which allows for local privilege escalation. Distribution: Mandrake ethereal Multiple DoS vulernabilities Two vulnerabilities can be exploited to make Ethereal crash. kdepim Permission leak vulnerability This vulnerability allows for a carefully crafted .VCF file to enable a local attacker to execute arbitrary commands with the victim's privileges. Distribution: Red Hat cvs Chroot breakout vulnerability cvs can attempt to create files and directories in the root file system kdepim Buffer overflow vulnerability Updated kdepim packages are now available that fix a local buffer overflow vulnerability. tcpdump Denial of service vulnerability Crafted remote packets can result in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code as the 'pcap' user. Distribution: Slackware kernel Priv. Escal. patch for 8.1 There is a bounds-checking problem in the kernel's mremap() call which could be used by a local attacker to gain root privileges. INN Buffer overflow vulnerability Upgrade to inn-2.4.1 to fix a potentially exploitable buffer overflow. kdepim Permission leak vulnerability A carefully crafted .VCF file enables local attackers to execute arbitrary commands with the victim's privileges. Distribution: Suse tcpdump Denial of service vulnerability There is a remote DoS condition in tcpdumps ISAKMP handling. kernel Many vulnerabilities fixed for 64bit Fixes vulnerabilities that can be used to gain root privilages. Distribution: Trustix tcpdump Denial of Service vulnerability A problem in tcpdump was discovered, where it was possible to crash the program by sending carefully crafted packets on the network.
