GLSA 200705-14 XScreenSaver: Privilege escalation

Posted by Bob on: 05/13/2007 11:05 PM [ Print | 0 comment(s) ]

A new security update has been released for Gentoo Linux - XScreenSaver: Privilege escalation. Here the announcement:

Gentoo Linux Security Advisory GLSA 200705-14
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http://security.gentoo.org/
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Severity: Normal
Title: XScreenSaver: Privilege escalation
Date: May 13, 2007
Bugs: #176584
ID: 200705-14

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Synopsis
========

XScreenSaver allows local users to bypass authentication under certain
configurations.

Background
==========

XScreenSaver is a widely used screen saver collection shipped on
systems running the X11 Window System.

Affected packages
=================

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Package / Vulnerable / Unaffected
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1 x11-misc/xscreensaver lt; 5.02 gt;= 5.02

Description
===========

XScreenSaver incorrectly handles the results of the getpwuid() function
in drivers/lock.c when using directory servers during a network outage.

Impact
======

A local user can crash XScreenSaver by preventing network connectivity
if the system uses a remote directory service for credentials such as
NIS or LDAP, which will unlock the screen.

Workaround
==========

There is no known workaround at this time.

Resolution
==========

All XScreenSaver users should upgrade to the latest version:

# emerge --sync
# emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose "gt;=x11-misc/xscreensaver-5.02"

References
==========

[ 1 ] CVE-2007-1859
http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2007-1859

Availability
============

This GLSA and any updates to it are available for viewing at
the Gentoo Security Website:

http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200705-14.xml

Concerns?
=========

Security is a primary focus of Gentoo Linux and ensuring the
confidentiality and security of our users machines is of utmost
importance to us. Any security concerns should be addressed to
security@gentoo.org or alternatively, you may file a bug at
http://bugs.gentoo.org.

License
=======

Copyright 2007 Gentoo Foundation, Inc; referenced text
belongs to its owner(s).

The contents of this document are licensed under the
Creative Commons - Attribution / Share Alike license.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5