Updated openssh packages that fix security issues are now available.
OpenSSH is OpenBSD's SSH (Secure SHell) protocol implementation. SSH replaces rlogin and rsh, and provides secure encrypted communications between two untrusted hosts over an insecure network. X11 connections and arbitrary TCP/IP ports can also be forwarded over a secure channel. Public key authentication can be used for "passwordless" access to servers.
2. Relevant releases/architectures:
Red Hat Linux 7.3 - i386 Red Hat Linux 9 - i386 Fedora Core 1 - i386 Fedora Core 2 - i386 Fedora Core 3 - i386, x86_64
3. Problem description:
A bug was found in the way the OpenSSH server handled the MaxStartups and LoginGraceTime configuration variables. A malicious user could connect to the SSH daemon in such a way that it would prevent additional logins from occuring until the malicious connections are closed. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-2004-2069 to this issue.
The scp command was found to expose filenames twice to shell expansion. A malicious user could execute arbitrary commands by using specially crafted filenames containing shell metacharacters or spaces. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-2006-0225 to this issue.
Users of openssh should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backported patches to resolve these issues.
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.