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A new security update has been released for Gentoo Linux - rsync: Execution of arbitrary code. Here the announcement:



Gentoo Linux Security Advisory GLSA 200804-16
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http://security.gentoo.org/
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Severity: High
Title: rsync: Execution of arbitrary code
Date: April 17, 2008
Bugs: #216887
ID: 200804-16

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Synopsis
========

A buffer overflow in rsync might lead to the remote execution of
arbitrary code when extended attributes are being used.

Background
==========

rsync is a file transfer program to keep remote directories
synchronized.

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Package / Vulnerable / Unaffected
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1 net-misc/rsync < 2.6.9-r6 >= 2.6.9-r6

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

Sebastian Krahmer of SUSE reported an integer overflow in the
expand_item_list() function in the file util.c which might lead to a
heap-based buffer overflow when extended attribute (xattr) support is
enabled.

Impact
======

A remote attacker could send a file containing specially crafted
extended attributes to an rsync deamon, or entice a user to sync from
an rsync server containing specially crafted files, possibly leading to
the execution of arbitrary code.

Please note that extended attributes are only enabled when USE="acl" is
enabled, which is the default setting.

Workaround
==========

Disable extended attributes in the rsync daemon by setting "refuse
options = xattrs" in the file "/etc/rsyncd.conf" (or append "xattrs" to
an existing "refuse" statement). When synchronizing to a server, do not
provide the "-X" parameter to rsync. You can also disable the "acl" USE
flag for rsync and recompile the package.

Resolution
==========

All rsync users should upgrade to the latest version:

# emerge --sync
# emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose ">=net-misc/rsync-2.6.9-r6"

References
==========

[ 1 ] CVE-2008-1720
http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2008-1720

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

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

http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200804-16.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 2008 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