The ecryptfs_write_metadata_to_contents function in the eCryptfs functionality in the Linux kernel 2.6.28 before 2.6.28.9 uses an incorrect size when writing kernel memory to an eCryptfs file header, which triggers an out-of-bounds read and allows local users to obtain portions of kernel memory.

The remote VMware ESX / ESXi host is missing a security-related patch.
It is, therefore, affected by multiple vulnerabilities, including remote code execution vulnerabilities, in the following components :

  - Apache Geronimo
  - Apache Tomcat
  - Apache Xerces2
  - cURL/libcURL
  - ISC BIND
  - Libxml2
  - Linux kernel
  - Linux kernel 64-bit
  - Linux kernel Common Internet File System
  - Linux kernel eCryptfs
  - NTP
  - Python
  - Java Runtime Environment (JRE)
  - Java SE Development Kit (JDK)
  - Java SE Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT)
  - Java SE Plugin
  - Java SE Provider
  - Java SE Swing
  - Java SE Web Start

From Red Hat Security Advisory 2009:0473 :

Updated kernel packages that fix several security issues and several bugs are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.

This update has been rated as having important security impact by the Red Hat Security Response Team.

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

This update fixes the following security issues :

* a logic error was found in the do_setlk() function of the Linux kernel Network File System (NFS) implementation. If a signal interrupted a lock request, the local POSIX lock was incorrectly created. This could cause a denial of service on the NFS server if a file descriptor was closed before its corresponding lock request returned. (CVE-2008-4307, Important)

* a deficiency was found in the Linux kernel system call auditing implementation on 64-bit systems. This could allow a local, unprivileged user to circumvent a system call audit configuration, if that configuration filtered based on the 'syscall' number or arguments. (CVE-2009-0834, Important)

* the exit_notify() function in the Linux kernel did not properly reset the exit signal if a process executed a set user ID (setuid) application before exiting. This could allow a local, unprivileged user to elevate their privileges. (CVE-2009-1337, Important)

* a flaw was found in the ecryptfs_write_metadata_to_contents() function of the Linux kernel eCryptfs implementation. On systems with a 4096 byte page-size, this flaw may have caused 4096 bytes of uninitialized kernel memory to be written into the eCryptfs file headers, leading to an information leak. Note: Encrypted files created on systems running the vulnerable version of eCryptfs may contain leaked data in the eCryptfs file headers. This update does not remove any leaked data. Refer to the Knowledgebase article in the References section for further information. (CVE-2009-0787, Moderate)

* the Linux kernel implementation of the Network File System (NFS) did not properly initialize the file name limit in the nfs_server data structure. This flaw could possibly lead to a denial of service on a client mounting an NFS share. (CVE-2009-1336, Moderate)

This update also fixes the following bugs :

* the enic driver (Cisco 10G Ethernet) did not operate under virtualization. (BZ#472474)

* network interfaces using the IBM eHEA Ethernet device driver could not be successfully configured under low-memory conditions.
(BZ#487035)

* bonding with the 'arp_validate=3' option may have prevented fail overs. (BZ#488064)

* when running under virtualization, the acpi-cpufreq module wrote 'Domain attempted WRMSR' errors to the dmesg log. (BZ#488928)

* NFS clients may have experienced deadlocks during unmount.
(BZ#488929)

* the ixgbe driver double counted the number of received bytes and packets. (BZ#489459)

* the Wacom Intuos3 Lens Cursor device did not work correctly with the Wacom Intuos3 12x12 tablet. (BZ#489460)

* on the Itanium(r) architecture, nanosleep() caused commands which used it, such as sleep and usleep, to sleep for one second more than expected. (BZ#490434)

* a panic and corruption of slab cache data structures occurred on 64-bit PowerPC systems when clvmd was running. (BZ#491677)

* the NONSTOP_TSC feature did not perform correctly on the Intel(r) microarchitecture (Nehalem) when running in 32-bit mode. (BZ#493356)

* keyboards may not have functioned on IBM eServer System p machines after a certain point during installation or afterward. (BZ#494293)

* using Device Mapper Multipathing with the qla2xxx driver resulted in frequent path failures. (BZ#495635)

* if the hypervisor was booted with the dom0_max_vcpus parameter set to less than the actual number of CPUs in the system, and the cpuspeed service was started, the hypervisor could crash. (BZ#495931)

* using Openswan to provide an IPsec virtual private network eventually resulted in a CPU soft lockup and a system crash.
(BZ#496044)

* it was possible for posix_locks_deadlock() to enter an infinite loop (under the BKL), causing a system hang. (BZ#496842)

Users should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backported patches to correct these issues. The system must be rebooted for this update to take effect.

This update fixes the following security issues :

  - a logic error was found in the do_setlk() function of     the Linux kernel Network File System (NFS)     implementation. If a signal interrupted a lock request,     the local POSIX lock was incorrectly created. This could     cause a denial of service on the NFS server if a file     descriptor was closed before its corresponding lock     request returned. (CVE-2008-4307, Important)

  - a deficiency was found in the Linux kernel system call     auditing implementation on 64-bit systems. This could     allow a local, unprivileged user to circumvent a system     call audit configuration, if that configuration filtered     based on the 'syscall' number or arguments.
    (CVE-2009-0834, Important)

  - the exit_notify() function in the Linux kernel did not     properly reset the exit signal if a process executed a     set user ID (setuid) application before exiting. This     could allow a local, unprivileged user to elevate their     privileges. (CVE-2009-1337, Important)

  - a flaw was found in the     ecryptfs_write_metadata_to_contents() function of the     Linux kernel eCryptfs implementation. On systems with a     4096 byte page-size, this flaw may have caused 4096     bytes of uninitialized kernel memory to be written into     the eCryptfs file headers, leading to an information     leak. Note: Encrypted files created on systems running     the vulnerable version of eCryptfs may contain leaked     data in the eCryptfs file headers. This update does not     remove any leaked data. Refer to the Knowledgebase     article in the References section for further     information. (CVE-2009-0787, Moderate)

  - the Linux kernel implementation of the Network File     System (NFS) did not properly initialize the file name     limit in the nfs_server data structure. This flaw could     possibly lead to a denial of service on a client     mounting an NFS share. (CVE-2009-1336, Moderate)

This update also fixes the following bugs :

  - the enic driver (Cisco 10G Ethernet) did not operate     under virtualization. (BZ#472474)

  - network interfaces using the IBM eHEA Ethernet device     driver could not be successfully configured under     low-memory conditions. (BZ#487035)

  - bonding with the 'arp_validate=3' option may have     prevented fail overs. (BZ#488064)

  - when running under virtualization, the acpi-cpufreq     module wrote 'Domain attempted WRMSR' errors to the     dmesg log. (BZ#488928)

  - NFS clients may have experienced deadlocks during     unmount. (BZ#488929)

  - the ixgbe driver double counted the number of received     bytes and packets. (BZ#489459)

  - the Wacom Intuos3 Lens Cursor device did not work     correctly with the Wacom Intuos3 12x12 tablet.
    (BZ#489460)

  - on the Itanium&reg; architecture, nanosleep() caused     commands which used it, such as sleep and usleep, to     sleep for one second more than expected. (BZ#490434)

  - a panic and corruption of slab cache data structures     occurred on 64-bit PowerPC systems when clvmd was     running. (BZ#491677)

  - the NONSTOP_TSC feature did not perform correctly on the     Intel&reg; microarchitecture (Nehalem) when running in     32-bit mode. (BZ#493356)

  - keyboards may not have functioned on IBM eServer System     p machines after a certain point during installation or     afterward. (BZ#494293)

  - using Device Mapper Multipathing with the qla2xxx driver     resulted in frequent path failures. (BZ#495635)

  - if the hypervisor was booted with the dom0_max_vcpus     parameter set to less than the actual number of CPUs in     the system, and the cpuspeed service was started, the     hypervisor could crash. (BZ#495931)

  - using Openswan to provide an IPsec virtual private     network eventually resulted in a CPU soft lockup and a     system crash. (BZ#496044)

  - it was possible for posix_locks_deadlock() to enter an     infinite loop (under the BKL), causing a system hang.
    (BZ#496842)

The system must be rebooted for this update to take effect.

Updated kernel packages that fix several security issues and several bugs are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.

This update has been rated as having important security impact by the Red Hat Security Response Team.

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

This update fixes the following security issues :

* a logic error was found in the do_setlk() function of the Linux kernel Network File System (NFS) implementation. If a signal interrupted a lock request, the local POSIX lock was incorrectly created. This could cause a denial of service on the NFS server if a file descriptor was closed before its corresponding lock request returned. (CVE-2008-4307, Important)

* a deficiency was found in the Linux kernel system call auditing implementation on 64-bit systems. This could allow a local, unprivileged user to circumvent a system call audit configuration, if that configuration filtered based on the 'syscall' number or arguments. (CVE-2009-0834, Important)

* the exit_notify() function in the Linux kernel did not properly reset the exit signal if a process executed a set user ID (setuid) application before exiting. This could allow a local, unprivileged user to elevate their privileges. (CVE-2009-1337, Important)

* a flaw was found in the ecryptfs_write_metadata_to_contents() function of the Linux kernel eCryptfs implementation. On systems with a 4096 byte page-size, this flaw may have caused 4096 bytes of uninitialized kernel memory to be written into the eCryptfs file headers, leading to an information leak. Note: Encrypted files created on systems running the vulnerable version of eCryptfs may contain leaked data in the eCryptfs file headers. This update does not remove any leaked data. Refer to the Knowledgebase article in the References section for further information. (CVE-2009-0787, Moderate)

* the Linux kernel implementation of the Network File System (NFS) did not properly initialize the file name limit in the nfs_server data structure. This flaw could possibly lead to a denial of service on a client mounting an NFS share. (CVE-2009-1336, Moderate)

This update also fixes the following bugs :

* the enic driver (Cisco 10G Ethernet) did not operate under virtualization. (BZ#472474)

* network interfaces using the IBM eHEA Ethernet device driver could not be successfully configured under low-memory conditions.
(BZ#487035)

* bonding with the 'arp_validate=3' option may have prevented fail overs. (BZ#488064)

* when running under virtualization, the acpi-cpufreq module wrote 'Domain attempted WRMSR' errors to the dmesg log. (BZ#488928)

* NFS clients may have experienced deadlocks during unmount.
(BZ#488929)

* the ixgbe driver double counted the number of received bytes and packets. (BZ#489459)

* the Wacom Intuos3 Lens Cursor device did not work correctly with the Wacom Intuos3 12x12 tablet. (BZ#489460)

* on the Itanium(r) architecture, nanosleep() caused commands which used it, such as sleep and usleep, to sleep for one second more than expected. (BZ#490434)

* a panic and corruption of slab cache data structures occurred on 64-bit PowerPC systems when clvmd was running. (BZ#491677)

* the NONSTOP_TSC feature did not perform correctly on the Intel(r) microarchitecture (Nehalem) when running in 32-bit mode. (BZ#493356)

* keyboards may not have functioned on IBM eServer System p machines after a certain point during installation or afterward. (BZ#494293)

* using Device Mapper Multipathing with the qla2xxx driver resulted in frequent path failures. (BZ#495635)

* if the hypervisor was booted with the dom0_max_vcpus parameter set to less than the actual number of CPUs in the system, and the cpuspeed service was started, the hypervisor could crash. (BZ#495931)

* using Openswan to provide an IPsec virtual private network eventually resulted in a CPU soft lockup and a system crash.
(BZ#496044)

* it was possible for posix_locks_deadlock() to enter an infinite loop (under the BKL), causing a system hang. (BZ#496842)

Users should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backported patches to correct these issues. The system must be rebooted for this update to take effect.

a. JRE Security Update

  JRE update to version 1.5.0_20, which addresses multiple security   issues that existed in earlier releases of JRE.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has   assigned the following names to the security issues fixed in   JRE 1.5.0_18: CVE-2009-1093, CVE-2009-1094, CVE-2009-1095,   CVE-2009-1096, CVE-2009-1097, CVE-2009-1098, CVE-2009-1099,   CVE-2009-1100, CVE-2009-1101, CVE-2009-1102, CVE-2009-1103,   CVE-2009-1104, CVE-2009-1105, CVE-2009-1106, and CVE-2009-1107.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has   assigned the following names to the security issues fixed in   JRE 1.5.0_20: CVE-2009-2625, CVE-2009-2670, CVE-2009-2671,   CVE-2009-2672, CVE-2009-2673, CVE-2009-2675, CVE-2009-2676,   CVE-2009-2716, CVE-2009-2718, CVE-2009-2719, CVE-2009-2720,   CVE-2009-2721, CVE-2009-2722, CVE-2009-2723, CVE-2009-2724.

b. Update Apache Tomcat version

  Update for VirtualCenter and ESX patch update the Tomcat package to   version 6.0.20 (vSphere 4.0) or version 5.5.28 (VirtualCenter 2.5)   which addresses multiple security issues that existed   in the previous version of Apache Tomcat.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has   assigned the following names to the security issues fixed in   Apache Tomcat 6.0.20 and Tomcat 5.5.28: CVE-2008-5515,   CVE-2009-0033, CVE-2009-0580, CVE-2009-0781, CVE-2009-0783.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has   assigned the following names to the security issues fixed in   Apache Tomcat 6.0.18:  CVE-2008-1232, CVE-2008-1947, CVE-2008-2370.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has   assigned the following names to the security issues fixed in   Apache Tomcat 6.0.16:  CVE-2007-5333, CVE-2007-5342, CVE-2007-5461,   CVE-2007-6286, CVE-2008-0002.
  c. Third-party library update for ntp.
   The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is used to synchronize a computer's   time with a referenced time source.
   ESXi 3.5 and ESXi 4.0 have a ntp client that is affected by the   following security issue. Note that the same security issue is   present in the ESX Service Console as described in section d. of   this advisory.
   A buffer overflow flaw was discovered in the ntpd daemon's NTPv4   authentication code. If ntpd was configured to use public key   cryptography for NTP packet authentication, a remote attacker could   use this flaw to send a specially crafted request packet that could   crash ntpd or, potentially, execute arbitrary code with the   privileges of the 'ntp' user.
   The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures Project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the name CVE-2009-1252 to this issue.
   The NTP security issue identified by CVE-2009-0159 is not relevant   for ESXi 3.5 and ESXi 4.0.
 d. Service Console update for ntp

  Service Console package ntp updated to version ntp-4.2.2pl-9el5_3.2    The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is used to synchronize a computer's   time with a referenced time source.
   The Service Console present in ESX is affected by the following   security issues.
   A buffer overflow flaw was discovered in the ntpd daemon's NTPv4   authentication code. If ntpd was configured to use public key   cryptography for NTP packet authentication, a remote attacker could   use this flaw to send a specially crafted request packet that could   crash ntpd or, potentially, execute arbitrary code with the   privileges of the 'ntp' user.
   NTP authentication is not enabled by default on the Service Console.
   The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures Project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the name CVE-2009-1252 to this issue.
   A buffer overflow flaw was found in the ntpq diagnostic command. A   malicious, remote server could send a specially crafted reply to an   ntpq request that could crash ntpq or, potentially, execute   arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the ntpq   command.
   The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures Project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the name CVE-2009-0159 to this issue.
  e. Updated Service Console package kernel

  Updated Service Console package kernel addresses the security   issues listed below.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the names CVE-2008-3528, CVE-2008-5700, CVE-2009-0028,   CVE-2009-0269, CVE-2009-0322, CVE-2009-0675, CVE-2009-0676,   CVE-2009-0778 to the security issues fixed in kernel   2.6.18-128.1.6.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the names CVE-2008-4307, CVE-2009-0834, CVE-2009-1337,   CVE-2009-0787, CVE-2009-1336 to the security issues fixed in   kernel 2.6.18-128.1.10.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the names CVE-2009-1439, CVE-2009-1633, CVE-2009-1072,   CVE-2009-1630, CVE-2009-1192 to the security issues fixed in   kernel 2.6.18-128.1.14.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the names CVE-2007-5966, CVE-2009-1385, CVE-2009-1388,   CVE-2009-1389, CVE-2009-1895, CVE-2009-2406, CVE-2009-2407 to the   security issues fixed in kernel 2.6.18-128.4.1.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the names CVE-2009-2692, CVE-2009-2698 to the   security issues fixed in kernel 2.6.18-128.7.1.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the names CVE-2009-0745, CVE-2009-0746, CVE-2009-0747,   CVE-2009-0748, CVE-2009-2847, CVE-2009-2848 to the security issues   fixed in kernel 2.6.18-164.

 f. Updated Service Console package python

  Service Console package Python update to version 2.4.3-24.el5.

  When the assert() system call was disabled, an input sanitization   flaw was revealed in the Python string object implementation that   led to a buffer overflow. The missing check for negative size values   meant the Python memory allocator could allocate less memory than   expected. This could result in arbitrary code execution with the   Python interpreter's privileges.

  Multiple buffer and integer overflow flaws were found in the Python   Unicode string processing and in the Python Unicode and string   object implementations. An attacker could use these flaws to cause   a denial of service.

  Multiple integer overflow flaws were found in the Python imageop   module. If a Python application used the imageop module to   process untrusted images, it could cause the application to   disclose sensitive information, crash or, potentially, execute   arbitrary code with the Python interpreter's privileges.

  Multiple integer underflow and overflow flaws were found in the   Python snprintf() wrapper implementation. An attacker could use   these flaws to cause a denial of service (memory corruption).

  Multiple integer overflow flaws were found in various Python   modules. An attacker could use these flaws to cause a denial of   service.

  An integer signedness error, leading to a buffer overflow, was   found in the Python zlib extension module. If a Python application   requested the negative byte count be flushed for a decompression   stream, it could cause the application to crash or, potentially,   execute arbitrary code with the Python interpreter's privileges.

  A flaw was discovered in the strxfrm() function of the Python   locale module. Strings generated by this function were not properly   NULL-terminated, which could possibly cause disclosure of data   stored in the memory of a Python application using this function.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the names CVE-2007-2052 CVE-2007-4965 CVE-2008-1721   CVE-2008-1887 CVE-2008-2315 CVE-2008-3142 CVE-2008-3143   CVE-2008-3144 CVE-2008-4864 CVE-2008-5031 to these issues.

 g. Updated Service Console package bind

  Service Console package bind updated to version 9.3.6-4.P1.el5

  The Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) is an implementation of the   Domain Name System (DNS) protocols. BIND includes a DNS server   (named); a resolver library (routines for applications to use when   interfacing with DNS); and tools for verifying that the DNS server   is operating correctly.

  A flaw was found in the way BIND handles dynamic update message   packets containing the 'ANY' record type. A remote attacker could   use this flaw to send a specially crafted dynamic update packet   that could cause named to exit with an assertion failure.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the name CVE-2009-0696 to this issue.

 h. Updated Service Console package libxml2

  Service Console package libxml2 updated to version 2.6.26-2.1.2.8.

  libxml is a library for parsing and manipulating XML files. A   Document Type Definition (DTD) defines the legal syntax (and also   which elements can be used) for certain types of files, such as XML   files.

  A stack overflow flaw was found in the way libxml processes the   root XML document element definition in a DTD. A remote attacker   could provide a specially crafted XML file, which once opened by a   local, unsuspecting user, would lead to denial of service.

  Multiple use-after-free flaws were found in the way libxml parses   the Notation and Enumeration attribute types. A remote attacker   could provide a specially crafted XML file, which once opened by a   local, unsuspecting user, would lead to denial of service.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the names CVE-2009-2414 and CVE-2009-2416 to these   issues.

 i. Updated Service Console package curl

  Service Console package curl updated to version 7.15.5-2.1.el5_3.5

  A cURL is affected by the previously published 'null prefix attack',   caused by incorrect handling of NULL characters in X.509   certificates. If an attacker is able to get a carefully-crafted   certificate signed by a trusted Certificate Authority, the attacker   could use the certificate during a man-in-the-middle attack and   potentially confuse cURL into accepting it by mistake.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the name CVE-2009-2417 to this issue

 j. Updated Service Console package gnutls

  Service Console package gnutil updated to version 1.4.1-3.el5_3.5

  A flaw was discovered in the way GnuTLS handles NULL characters in   certain fields of X.509 certificates. If an attacker is able to get   a carefully-crafted certificate signed by a Certificate Authority   trusted by an application using GnuTLS, the attacker could use the   certificate during a man-in-the-middle attack and potentially   confuse the application into accepting it by mistake.

  The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org)   has assigned the name CVE-2009-2730 to this issue

The remote CentOS system is missing a security update which has been documented in Red Hat advisory RHSA-2009-0473.

ID	Name	Product	Family	Severity
89117	VMware ESX / ESXi Multiple Vulnerabilities (VMSA-2009-0016) (remote check)	Nessus	Misc.	critical
67854	Oracle Linux 5 : kernel (ELSA-2009-0473)	Nessus	Oracle Linux Local Security Checks	medium
60581	Scientific Linux Security Update : kernel on SL5.x i386/x86_64	Nessus	Scientific Linux Local Security Checks	medium
43746	CentOS 5 : kernel (CESA-2009:0473)	Nessus	CentOS Local Security Checks	medium
42870	VMSA-2009-0016 : VMware vCenter and ESX update release and vMA patch release address multiple security issues in third party components.	Nessus	VMware ESX Local Security Checks	medium
38709	RHEL 5 : kernel (RHSA-2009:0473)	Nessus	Red Hat Local Security Checks	medium
801469	CentOS RHSA-2009-0473 Security Check	Log Correlation Engine	Generic	high

Detections

Analytics

CVE-2009-0787

high

Tenable Plugins

critical

medium

medium

medium

medium

medium

high