Linux Security Watch m46
Linux Security Watch m46
This week, advisories were released for squid, smail, XFree86, lapack,
system-config-bind, gnutls, util-linux, libexif, ethereal, postgresql,
gaim, pygtk, GnuTLS, gzip, TCPDump, libTIFF, HT, and openmotif. The
distributors include Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, and Red Hat.
--- The section titled 404 corresponds to the requirements for effective internal controls by corporations falling under the jurisdiction of The Act. According to the Guardian Digital SOX Whitepaper, "Under Section 404 management must institute a comprehensive internal control structure which includes appropriated procedures to ensure accurate and complete financial reporting." Management must conduct an annual assessment regarding the effectiveness of this structure and it must be supportedby documented evidence and validation of management.s assessment by a registered public accounting firm. According to Robert Moeller in his book, "Sarbanes-Oxley and the New Internal Auditing Rules", a system or process has good internal controls if it accomplishes its stated mission, produces accurate and reliable data, complies with applicable laws and organization policies, provides for economical and efficient uses of resources, and provides for appropriate safeguarding of assets. The annual internal controls reports must state the responsibility of management for establishing and maintaining an adequate internal control structure and procedures for financial report and must contain an assessment of the effectiveness of the internal control structure for procedures of the company for financial reporting. The Act affects every level of an organization, however much of the compliance issues will be dealt by the upper-level executives as well as finance and IT departments. Overall, The Act.s main concern is the security and integrity of financial information. As stated by Guardian Digital, "Given that almost all business information today is created, stored, and shared electronically, information technology, with special regard to information security, is a significant component of the effective internal controls mandated by SOX." Any aspect of information technology controls which directly affects the processes or procedures involved in creating and preparing corporate data, including all hardware, software, and IT policies relevant to the preparation and retention of information would then be subject to compliance to the act. According to SOX, all corporations must pass a set of rules for every division within a company that may be involved in the generation, manipulation, and reporting of corporate information. With regard to IT departments, however, these policies will be created to drive security and ensure the integrity of all information contained on the network. Documented policies and procedures set acceptable rules for employees and executives conduct alike and furthermore, provide blueprints on how certain situations should most effectively be handled eliminating guesswork and inadvertent transgressions. Setting information security policies, properly enforcing them and proactively evolving existing policies to adjust to corporate growth is the backbone for SOX compliance and is essential to achieve optimum performance and security on the system. Although properly executed acceptable use policies are a good defense against many of the internal threats facing corporate infrastructure, they cannot protect the integrity of corporate data alone. A solid infrastructure incorporates numerous technologies including those that will protect corporate confidentiality, the continuity of secure network operations, and further assist in enforcing corporate network and Internet policies. These solutions should include firewalls for traffic monitoring, comprehensive auditing features to reveal user and system activity, strong encryption mechanisms to ensure data integrity when transferring pertinent information, user authentication mechanisms such as passwords and digital certification, and a system back-up module to provide critical recovery services. A cohesive collection of all these applications is a step in the right direction for SOX compliance as well as a chance for organizations to empower their IT infrastructure through technologically advanced applications. Such improvements not only provide governmental compliance and greater network protection but can also result in a dramatic performance increase. ---------------------- Measuring Security IT Success In a time where budgets are constrained and Internet threats are on the rise, it is important for organizations to invest in network security applications that will not only provide them with powerful functionality but also a rapid return on investment. In most organizations IT success is generally calculated through effectiveness, resource usage and, most importantly, how quickly the investment can be returned. To correctly quantify the ROI of information technology, organizations usually measure cost savings and increased profits since the initial implementation. Additionally, ROI can also be affected based on the overall impact the investment has on employee productivity and overall work environment of the company. --- Getting to Know Linux Security: File Permissions Welcome to the first tutorial in the 'Getting to Know Linux Security' series. The topic explored is Linux file permissions. It offers an easy to follow explanation of how to read permissions, and how to set them using chmod. This guide is intended for users new to Linux security, therefore very simple. If the feedback is good, I'll consider creating more complex guides for advanced users. Please let us know what you think and how these can be improved. --- The Tao of Network Security Monitoring: Beyond Intrusion Detection To be honest, this was one of the best books that I've read on network security. Others books often dive so deeply into technical discussions, they fail to provide any relevance to network engineers/administrators working in a corporate environment. Budgets, deadlines, and flexibility are issues that we must all address. The Tao of Network Security Monitoring is presented in such a way that all of these are still relevant. One of the greatest virtues of this book is that is offers real-life technical examples, while backing them up with relevant case studies. Distribution: Debian * Debian: New squid packages fix ACL bypass Updated package. * Debian: New smail packages fix arbitrary code execution Updated package. * Debian: New XFree86 packages fix arbitrary code execution Updated Package. Distribution: Fedora * Fedora Core 3 Update: lapack-3.0-26.fc3 5th This update fixes problems in some lapack libraries (problems with compiler optimalization). This version contains all patches present in fc4 lapack version. * Fedora Core 3 Update: system-config-bind-4.0.0-12 5th Updated package. * Fedora Core 3 Update: gnutls-1.0.20-3.1.1 5th New gnutls version fixes CAN--1431 problem (possible DOS attack) * Fedora Core 3 Update: util-linux-2.12a-24.2 6th Updated package. * Fedora Core 3 Update: libexif-0.5.12-6.fc3 6th Updated package. * Fedora Core 3 Update: ethereal-0.10.11-1.FC3.1 9th Updated package. * Fedora Core 3 Update: postgresql-7.4.8-1.FC3.1 10th This update includes several upstream security fixes and other bug fixes. * Fedora Core 3 Update: gaim-1.3.0-1.fc3 11th Many bug fixes and two important security fixes. * Fedora Core 3 Update: pygtk2-2.4.1-fc3.1 11th Updated package. Distribution: Gentoo * Gentoo: Oops! Remote code execution 5th The Oops! proxy server contains a remotely exploitable format string vulnerability, which could potentially lead to the execution of arbitrary code. * Gentoo: Ethereal Numerous vulnerabilities 6th Ethereal is vulnerable to numerous vulnerabilities potentially resulting in the execution of arbitrary code or abnormal termination. * Gentoo: GnuTLS Denial of Service vulnerability 9th The GnuTLS library is vulnerable to Denial of Service attacks. * Gentoo: gzip Multiple vulnerabilities 9th gzip contains multiple vulnerabilities potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary commands. * Gentoo: TCPDump Decoding routines Denial of Service vulnerability 9th A flaw in the decoding of network packets renders TCPDump vulnerable to a remote Denial of Service attack. * Gentoo: libTIFF Buffer overflow 10th The libTIFF library is vulnerable to a buffer overflow, potentially resulting in the execution of arbitrary code. * Gentoo: HT Editor Multiple buffer overflows 10th Two vulnerabilities have been discovered in HT Editor, potentially leading to the execution of arbitrary code. * Gentoo: Gaim Denial of Service and buffer overflow vulnerabilties 12th Gaim contains two vulnerabilities, potentially resulting in the execution of arbitrary code or Denial of Service. Distribution: Red Hat * RedHat: Moderate: tcpdump security update 11th Updated tcpdump packages that fix several security issues are now available. * RedHat: Moderate: tcpdump security update 11th Updated tcpdump packages that fix several security issues are now available. * RedHat: Critical: gaim security update 11th An updated gaim package that fixes two security issues is now available. * RedHat: Critical: gaim security update 11th An updated gaim package that fixes security issues is now available for Red Hat. * RedHat: Moderate: openmotif security update 11th Updated openmotif packages that fix a flaw in the Xpm image library are now available.
