Protect yourself against future threats.
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- =========================================================================== AUSCERT External Security Bulletin Redistribution ESB-2003.0558 -- FreeBSD-SA-03:09.signal Insufficient range checking of signal numbers 11 August 2003 =========================================================================== AusCERT Security Bulletin Summary --------------------------------- Product: kernel Publisher: FreeBSD Operating System: FreeBSD 4-STABLE and prior FreeBSD 4.8-RELEASE-p1 and prior FreeBSD 5.1-RELEASE and prior Impact: Denial of Service Access Required: Existing Account - --------------------------BEGIN INCLUDED TEXT-------------------- - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 ============================================================================= FreeBSD-SA-03:09.signal Security Advisory The FreeBSD Project Topic: Insufficient range checking of signal numbers Category: core Module: sys Announced: 2003-08-10 Affects: All releases of FreeBSD up to and including 4.8-RELEASE-p1, 5.1-RELEASE (but see `Problem Description' below) FreeBSD 4-STABLE prior to the correction date Corrected: 2003-08-10 23:09:28 UTC (RELENG_4) 2003-08-10 23:14:08 UTC (RELENG_5_1) 2003-08-10 23:17:48 UTC (RELENG_5_0) 2003-08-10 23:19:35 UTC (RELENG_4_8) 2003-08-10 23:20:30 UTC (RELENG_4_7) 2003-08-10 23:21:18 UTC (RELENG_4_6) 2003-08-10 23:22:19 UTC (RELENG_4_5) 2003-08-10 23:23:05 UTC (RELENG_4_4) 2003-08-10 23:23:56 UTC (RELENG_4_3) FreeBSD only: YES For general information regarding FreeBSD Security Advisories, including descriptions of the fields above, security branches, and the following sections, please visit <URL:http://www.freebsd.org/security/>. I. Background Signals are a UNIX mechanism for handling asynchronous events such as pressing the terminal interrupt key (e.g. Ctrl-C), job control, memory access violations, I/O completion, and many others. Each signal is assigned a positive number. There are a number of mechanisms by which a process may cause a signal to be sent, including using the kill(2) system call or registering with certain device drivers. II. Problem Description Some mechanisms for causing a signal to be sent did not properly validate the signal number, in some cases allowing the kernel to attempt to deliver a negative or out-of-range signal number. Such errors were present in the ptrace(2) system call and the `spigot' video capture device driver. The error in ptrace(2) was introduced in FreeBSD version 4.2-RELEASE (4-STABLE dated Oct 26 04:34:41 2000 UTC). The `spigot' device driver (including the error) was introduced in FreeBSD 2.0.5. It has never been included in the kernel installed by default, nor in the GENERIC kernel configuration. Only systems with `device spigot' added to the kernel configuration are affected by this instance of the error. III. Impact In most cases, attempted delivery of a negative or out-of-range signal number will trigger an assertion failure and panic, thereby crashing the system. A malicious local user could use this vulnerability as a local denial-of-service attack. However, in FreeBSD 5.x, the assertion code is not present if the `INVARIANTS' kernel option is not used. In FreeBSD 5.0-RELEASE and 5.1-RELEASE, `INVARIANTS' is not enabled by default. In this configuration, a malicious local user could use this vulnerability to modify kernel memory, potentially leading to complete system compromise. (FreeBSD 4.x is not vulnerable in this way.) IV. Workaround There is no workaround for the local denial-of-service attack. The more severe impact, present only in FreeBSD 5.x systems, can be avoided by uncommenting or adding the `INVARIANTS' line to your kernel configuration: options INVARIANTS #Enable calls of extra sanity checking Recompile your kernel as described in <URL:http://www.freebsd.org/handbook/kernelconfig.html> and reboot the system. NOTE WELL: This workaround is only for FreeBSD 5.x systems. This workaround does not eliminate the possibility of a local denial-of-service attack. V. Solution 1) Upgrade your vulnerable system to 4.8-STABLE, or to any of the RELENG_4_8 (4.8-RELEASE-p2), RELENG_4_7 (4.7-RELEASE-p12), or RELENG_5_1 (5.1-RELEASE-p1) security branches dated after the respective correction dates. 2) To patch your present system: a) Download the relevant patch from the location below, and verify the detached PGP signature using your PGP utility. [FreeBSD 5.1-RELEASE] # fetch ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/CERT/patches/SA-03:09/signal51.patch # fetch ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/CERT/patches/SA-03:09/signal51.patch.asc [FreeBSD 5.0-RELEASE] # fetch ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/CERT/patches/SA-03:09/signal50.patch # fetch ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/CERT/patches/SA-03:09/signal50.patch.asc [FreeBSD 4.8-RELEASE, 4.8-STABLE, 4.7-STABLE dated Jan 2 20:39:13 2003 UTC or later] # fetch ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/CERT/patches/SA-03:09/signal4s.patch # fetch ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/CERT/patches/SA-03:09/signal4s.patch.asc [FreeBSD 4.3-RELEASE through 4.7-RELEASE, 4.7-STABLE dated before Jan 2 20:39:13 2003 UTC] # fetch ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/CERT/patches/SA-03:09/signal47.patch # fetch ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/CERT/patches/SA-03:09/signal47.patch.asc b) Apply the patch. # cd /usr/src # patch < /path/to/patch c) Recompile your kernel as described in <URL:http://www.freebsd.org/handbook/kernelconfig.html> and reboot the system. VI. Correction details The following list contains the revision numbers of each file that was corrected in FreeBSD. Branch Revision Path - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- src/sys/UPDATING RELENG_5_1 1.251.2.2 RELENG_5_0 1.229.2.15 RELENG_4_8 1.73.2.80.2.4 RELENG_4_7 1.73.2.74.2.15 RELENG_4_6 1.73.2.68.2.43 RELENG_4_5 1.73.2.50.2.45 RELENG_4_4 1.73.2.43.2.46 RELENG_4_3 1.73.2.28.2.33 src/sys/conf/newvers.sh RELENG_5_1 1.50.2.3 RELENG_5_0 1.48.2.10 RELENG_4_8 1.44.2.29.2.3 RELENG_4_7 1.44.2.26.2.14 RELENG_4_6 1.44.2.23.2.32 RELENG_4_5 1.44.2.20.2.29 RELENG_4_4 1.44.2.17.2.37 RELENG_4_3 1.44.2.14.2.23 src/sys/i386/isa/spigot.c RELENG_4 1.44.2.1 RELENG_5_1 1.58.2.1 RELENG_5_0 1.55.2.1 RELENG_4_8 1.44.14.1 RELENG_4_7 1.44.12.1 RELENG_4_6 1.44.10.1 RELENG_4_5 1.44.8.1 RELENG_4_4 1.44.6.1 RELENG_4_3 1.44.4.1 src/sys/kern/sys_process.c RELENG_4 1.51.2.7 RELENG_5_1 1.108.2.1 RELENG_5_0 1.104.2.1 RELENG_4_8 1.51.2.6.2.1 RELENG_4_7 1.51.2.4.2.1 RELENG_4_6 1.51.2.3.4.1 RELENG_4_5 1.51.2.3.2.1 RELENG_4_4 1.51.2.1.4.2 RELENG_4_3 1.51.2.1.2.2 src/sys/kern_sig.c RELENG_5_1 1.239.2.1 RELENG_5_0 1.197.2.1 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.2 (FreeBSD) iD8DBQE/Nt6VFdaIBMps37IRAs/0AJ9qtj0Cv+y3QjUZXrFDQx00oTv+AwCgnys1 p3OHIN16XjGz8OhmjF1nWKM= =tnsF - -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- - --------------------------END INCLUDED TEXT-------------------- You have received this e-mail bulletin as a result of your organisation's registration with AusCERT. The mailing list you are subscribed to is maintained within your organisation, so if you do not wish to continue receiving these bulletins you should contact your local IT manager. If you do not know who that is, please send an email to auscert@auscert.org.au and we will forward your request to the appropriate person. This security bulletin is provided as a service to AusCERT's members. As AusCERT did not write the document quoted above, AusCERT has had no control over its content. The decision to follow or act on information or advice contained in this security bulletin is the responsibility of each user or organisation, and should be considered in accordance with your organisation's site policies and procedures. AusCERT takes no responsibility for consequences which may arise from following or acting on information or advice contained in this security bulletin. NOTE: This is only the original release of the security bulletin. It may not be updated when updates to the original are made. If downloading at a later date, it is recommended that the bulletin is retrieved directly from the author's website to ensure that the information is still current. Contact information for the authors of the original document is included in the Security Bulletin above. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact them directly. Previous advisories and external security bulletins can be retrieved from: http://www.auscert.org.au/render.html?cid=1980 If you believe that your computer system has been compromised or attacked in any way, we encourage you to let us know by completing the secure National IT Incident Reporting Form at: http://www.auscert.org.au/render.html?it=3192 Internet Email: auscert@auscert.org.au Facsimile: (07) 3365 7031 Telephone: (07) 3365 4417 (International: +61 7 3365 4417) AusCERT personnel answer during Queensland business hours which are GMT+10:00 (AEST). On call after hours for member emergencies only. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Comment: http://www.auscert.org.au/render.html?it=1967 iQCVAwUBPzdBlyh9+71yA2DNAQHmPQQAi16a0rnJ+etfSoJXUQ5FWyq+JwZWs3lo lCpfm0yRoX5KHyOAeXlnXLdpTM8tES6PXXMPKONLaMiwdy2sOcm3SLpI0LItQmRQ MPXptQro3szR3m7PfLSNIrj4t3yMxdPB/v5PsGrWWecECkkWdQ7aaO5j5R1z6/eR I90XuRS/iEI= =MkAj -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----