Updated util-linux and mount packages that fix a security issue are now available.
The util-linux package contains a large variety of low-level system utilities that are necessary for a Linux system to function.
The mount package contains the mount, umount, swapon and swapoff programs.
2. Relevant releases/architectures:
Red Hat Linux 7.3 - i386 Red Hat Linux 9 - i386 Fedora Core 1 - i386 Fedora Core 2 - i386
3. Problem description:
A bug was found in the way the umount command is executed by normal users. It may be possible for a user to gain elevated privileges if the user is able to execute the "umount -r" command on a mounted file system. The file system will be re-mounted only with the "readonly" flag set, clearing flags such as "nosuid" and "noexec". The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-2005-2876 to this issue.
All users of util-linux and mount should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain a backported patch to correct this issue.
4. Solution:
Before applying this update, make sure all previously released errata relevant to your system have been applied.
To update all RPMs for your particular architecture, run:
rpm -Fvh [filenames]
where [filenames] is a list of the RPMs you wish to upgrade. Only those RPMs which are currently installed will be updated. Those RPMs which are not installed but included in the list will not be updated. Note that you can also use wildcards (*.rpm) if your current directory *only* contains the desired RPMs.
Please note that this update is also available via yum and apt. Many people find this an easier way to apply updates. To use yum issue:
yum update
or to use apt:
apt-get update; apt-get upgrade
This will start an interactive process that will result in the appropriate RPMs being upgraded on your system. This assumes that you have yum or apt-get configured for obtaining Fedora Legacy content. Please visit http://www.fedoralegacy.org/docs for directions on how to configure yum and apt-get.