kernel (SL5)

Synopsis: Important: kernel security and bug fix update
Issue Date: 2011-04-12
CVE Numbers: CVE-2011-0521
CVE-2010-4346
CVE-2011-0710
CVE-2011-1478
CVE-2011-1010
CVE-2011-1090

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

This update fixes the following security issues:

* A missing boundary check was found in the dvb_ca_ioctl() function in the
Linux kernel’s av7110 module. On systems that use old DVB cards that
require the av7110 module, a local, unprivileged user could use this flaw
to cause a denial of service or escalate their privileges. (CVE-2011-0521,
Important)

* An inconsistency was found in the interaction between the Linux kernel’s
method for allocating NFSv4 (Network File System version 4) ACL data and
the method by which it was freed. This inconsistency led to a kernel panic
which could be triggered by a local, unprivileged user with files owned by
said user on an NFSv4 share. (CVE-2011-1090, Moderate)

* A NULL pointer dereference flaw was found in the Generic Receive Offload
(GRO) functionality in the Linux kernel’s networking implementation. If
both GRO and promiscuous mode were enabled on an interface in a virtual LAN
(VLAN), it could result in a denial of service when a malformed VLAN frame
is received on that interface. (CVE-2011-1478, Moderate)

* A missing security check in the Linux kernel’s implementation of the
install_special_mapping() function could allow a local, unprivileged user
to bypass the mmap_min_addr protection mechanism. (CVE-2010-4346, Low)

* An information leak was found in the Linux kernel’s task_show_regs()
implementation. On IBM S/390 systems, a local, unprivileged user could use
this flaw to read /proc/[PID]/status files, allowing them to discover the
CPU register values of processes. (CVE-2011-0710, Low)

* A missing validation check was found in the Linux kernel’s
mac_partition() implementation, used for supporting file systems created
on Mac OS operating systems. A local attacker could use this flaw to cause
a denial of service by mounting a disk that contains specially-crafted
partitions. (CVE-2011-1010, Low)

Red Hat would like to thank Ryan Sweat for reporting CVE-2011-1478; Tavis
Ormandy for reporting CVE-2010-4346; and Timo Warns for reporting
CVE-2011-1010.

This update also fixes several bugs. Documentation for these bug fixes will
be available shortly from the Technical Notes document linked to in the
References section.

Users should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backported
patches to correct these issues, and fix the bugs noted in the Technical
Notes. The system must be rebooted for this update to take effect.

SL5
x86_64
kernel-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
kernel-debug-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
kernel-debug-devel-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
kernel-devel-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
kernel-headers-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
kernel-xen-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
kernel-xen-devel-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.x86_64.rpm
i386
kernel-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.i686.rpm
kernel-debug-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.i686.rpm
kernel-debug-devel-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.i686.rpm
kernel-devel-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.i686.rpm
kernel-headers-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.i386.rpm
kernel-PAE-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.i686.rpm
kernel-PAE-devel-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.i686.rpm
kernel-xen-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.i686.rpm
kernel-xen-devel-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.i686.rpm
noarch
kernel-doc-2.6.18-238.9.1.el5.noarch.rpm

– Scientific Linux Development Team