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______________________________________________________________________________

SUSE Security Announcement

Package: pwdutils, shadow
Announcement ID: SUSE-SA:2005:064
Date: Fri, 04 Nov 2005 14:00:00 +0000
Affected Products: SUSE LINUX 10.0
SUSE LINUX 9.3
SUSE LINUX 9.2
SUSE LINUX 9.1
SuSE Linux 9.0
SuSE Linux Desktop 1.0
SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8
SUSE SLES 9
UnitedLinux 1.0
Vulnerability Type: local privilege escalation
Severity (1-10): 7
SUSE Default Package: yes
Cross-References: -

Content of This Advisory:
1) Security Vulnerability Resolved:
pwdutils privilege escalation
Problem Description
2) Solution or Work-Around
3) Special Instructions and Notes
4) Package Location and Checksums
5) Pending Vulnerabilities, Solutions, and Work-Arounds:
- See SUSE Security Summary Report
6) Authenticity Verification and Additional Information

______________________________________________________________________________

1) Problem Description and Brief Discussion

Thomas Gerisch found that the setuid 'chfn' program contained in the
pwdutils suite insufficiently checks it's arguments when changing
the GECOS field. This bug leads to a trivially exploitable local
privilege escalation that allows users to gain root access.

We like to thank Thomas Gerisch for pointing out the problem.

2) Solution or Work-Around

Removing the setuid bit from /usr/bin/chfn renders chfn useless but
also prevents successful exploitation. Note that this workaround
only lasts until the next run of SuSEconfig which will restore the
setuid bit if you are on permissions level 'easy' or 'secure'.

3) Special Instructions and Notes

None

4) Package Location and Checksums

The preferred method for installing security updates is to use the YaST
Online Update (YOU) tool. YOU detects which updates are required and
automatically performs the necessary steps to verify and install them.
Alternatively, download the update packages for your distribution manually
and verify their integrity by the methods listed in Section 6 of this
announcement. Then install the packages using the command

rpm -Fhv <file.rpm>

to apply the update, replacing <file.rpm> with the filename of the
downloaded RPM package.


x86 Platform:

SUSE LINUX 10.0:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/10.0/rpm/i586/pwdutils-3.0.4-4.2.i586.rpm
385e9ef4f03e67ddb50a6a21d5b9f0e9

SUSE LINUX 9.3:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/9.3/rpm/i586/pwdutils-2.6.96-4.2.i586.rpm
4705772232599de3a2d9dc83c922ee47

SUSE LINUX 9.2:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/9.2/rpm/i586/pwdutils-2.6.90-6.2.i586.rpm
aae77d1eab9d617be89ab993f9f8a47d

SUSE LINUX 9.1:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/9.1/rpm/i586/pwdutils-2.6.4-2.18.3.i586.rpm
5e957e0370ac82874979e0c02187517e

SuSE Linux 9.0:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/9.0/rpm/i586/shadow-4.0.3-267.i586.rpm
8cf127c4d2e74f17cf0ff058f4feaf00

Power PC Platform:

SUSE LINUX 10.0:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/10.0/rpm/ppc/pwdutils-3.0.4-4.2.ppc.rpm
533274d92b8375bc51b6a3684c1cf506

x86-64 Platform:

SUSE LINUX 10.0:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/10.0/rpm/x86_64/pwdutils-3.0.4-4.2.x86_64.rpm
cc54040195f24925474d1896c45ccb30

SUSE LINUX 9.3:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/9.3/rpm/x86_64/pwdutils-2.6.96-4.2.x86_64.rpm
785543d9276bd5de611ce0e82bc3c066

SUSE LINUX 9.2:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/9.2/rpm/x86_64/pwdutils-2.6.90-6.2.x86_64.rpm
82b384b4d65189c2af84677d7fc02dba

SUSE LINUX 9.1:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/x86_64/update/9.1/rpm/x86_64/pwdutils-2.6.4-2.18.3.x86_64.rpm
f5d860c203d8dc5c6b85318229fe68d8

SuSE Linux 9.0:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/x86_64/update/9.0/rpm/x86_64/shadow-4.0.3-267.x86_64.rpm
384136f520ebf09d3be779291da92c8d

Sources:

SUSE LINUX 10.0:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/10.0/rpm/src/pwdutils-3.0.4-4.2.src.rpm
f4b6aedde6cf93e1fe5b47bda874e72a

SUSE LINUX 9.3:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/9.3/rpm/src/pwdutils-2.6.96-4.2.src.rpm
cb0d28c88ecf013418234ed39ff87e85

SUSE LINUX 9.2:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/9.2/rpm/src/pwdutils-2.6.90-6.2.src.rpm
e8854e2433279f4a2650d354a07f3605

SUSE LINUX 9.1:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/9.1/rpm/src/pwdutils-2.6.4-2.18.3.src.rpm
81453f140a633eeb0b0a841b857e49a5
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/x86_64/update/9.1/rpm/src/pwdutils-2.6.4-2.18.3.src.rpm
7f5d161dae57bf1fb64cd39269b5255c

SuSE Linux 9.0:
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/update/9.0/rpm/src/shadow-4.0.3-267.src.rpm
6cc9c84bdea5f04c290c55c942327bb0
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/x86_64/update/9.0/rpm/src/shadow-4.0.3-267.src.rpm
d463b528a727655b392230302d998976

Our maintenance customers are notified individually. The packages are
offered for installation from the maintenance web:

http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/searchtid.cgi?psdb/185153682667ec6862eeea0f4622dde5.html
http://portal.suse.com/psdb/185153682667ec6862eeea0f4622dde5.html
http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/searchtid.cgi?psdb/53225e252af46c1f6a71fe03f1d76317.html
http://portal.suse.com/psdb/53225e252af46c1f6a71fe03f1d76317.html

______________________________________________________________________________

5) Pending Vulnerabilities, Solutions, and Work-Arounds:

- See SUSE Security Summary Report


______________________________________________________________________________

6) Authenticity Verification and Additional Information

- Announcement authenticity verification:

SUSE security announcements are published via mailing lists and on Web
sites. The authenticity and integrity of a SUSE security announcement is
guaranteed by a cryptographic signature in each announcement. All SUSE
security announcements are published with a valid signature.

To verify the signature of the announcement, save it as text into a file
and run the command

gpg --verify <file>

replacing <file> with the name of the file where you saved the
announcement. The output for a valid signature looks like:

gpg: Signature made <DATE> using RSA key ID 3D25D3D9
gpg: Good signature from "SuSE Security Team <security@suse.de>"

where <DATE> is replaced by the date the document was signed.

If the security team's key is not contained in your key ring, you can
import it from the first installation CD. To import the key, use the
command

gpg --import gpg-pubkey-3d25d3d9-36e12d04.asc

- Package authenticity verification:

SUSE update packages are available on many mirror FTP servers all over the
world. While this service is considered valuable and important to the free
and open source software community, the authenticity and the integrity of
a package needs to be verified to ensure that it has not been tampered
with.

There are two verification methods that can be used independently from
each other to prove the authenticity of a downloaded file or RPM package:

1) Using the internal gpg signatures of the rpm package
2) MD5 checksums as provided in this announcement

1) The internal rpm package signatures provide an easy way to verify the
authenticity of an RPM package. Use the command

rpm -v --checksig <file.rpm>

to verify the signature of the package, replacing <file.rpm> with the
filename of the RPM package downloaded. The package is unmodified if it
contains a valid signature from build@suse.de with the key ID 9C800ACA.

This key is automatically imported into the RPM database (on
RPMv4-based distributions) and the gpg key ring of 'root' during
installation. You can also find it on the first installation CD and at
the end of this announcement.

2) If you need an alternative means of verification, use the md5sum
command to verify the authenticity of the packages. Execute the command

md5sum <filename.rpm>

after you downloaded the file from a SUSE FTP server or its mirrors.
Then compare the resulting md5sum with the one that is listed in the
SUSE security announcement. Because the announcement containing the
checksums is cryptographically signed (by security@suse.de), the
checksums show proof of the authenticity of the package if the
signature of the announcement is valid. Note that the md5 sums
published in the SUSE Security Announcements are valid for the
respective packages only. Newer versions of these packages cannot be
verified.

- SUSE runs two security mailing lists to which any interested party may
subscribe:

suse-security@suse.com
- General Linux and SUSE security discussion.
All SUSE security announcements are sent to this list.
To subscribe, send an e-mail to
<suse-security-subscribe@suse.com>.

suse-security-announce@suse.com
- SUSE's announce-only mailing list.
Only SUSE's security announcements are sent to this list.
To subscribe, send an e-mail to
<suse-security-announce-subscribe@suse.com>.

For general information or the frequently asked questions (FAQ),
send mail to <suse-security-info@suse.com> or
<suse-security-faq@suse.com>.

=====================================================================
SUSE's security contact is <security@suse.com> or <security@suse.de>.
The <security@suse.de> public key is listed below.
=====================================================================
______________________________________________________________________________

The information in this advisory may be distributed or reproduced,
provided that the advisory is not modified in any way. In particular, the
clear text signature should show proof of the authenticity of the text.

SUSE Linux Products GmbH provides no warranties of any kind whatsoever
with respect to the information contained in this security advisory.

Type Bits/KeyID Date User ID
pub 2048R/3D25D3D9 1999-03-06 SuSE Security Team <security@suse.de>
pub 1024D/9C800ACA 2000-10-19 SuSE Package Signing Key <build@suse.de>

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