GLSA 200809-12 Newsbeuter: User-assisted execution of arbitrary code

Posted by Bob on: 09/22/2008 09:15 PM [ Print | 0 comment(s) ]

A new security update has been released for Gentoo Linux - Newsbeuter: User-assisted execution of arbitrary code. Here the announcement:

Gentoo Linux Security Advisory GLSA 200809-12
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http://security.gentoo.org/=

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Severity: Normal
Title: Newsbeuter: User-assisted execution of arbitrary code
Date: September 22, 2008
Bugs: #236506
ID: 200809-12

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Synopsis
========

Insufficient input validation in newsbeuter may allow remote attackers
to execute arbitrary shell commands.

Background
==========

Newsbeuter is a RSS/Atom feed reader for the text console.

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------=

Package / Vulnerable / Unaffected
-------------------------------------------------------------------=

1 net-news/newsbeuter lt; 1.2 gt;= 1.=
2

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

J.H.M. Dassen reported that the open-in-browser command does not
properly escape shell metacharacters in the URL before passing it to
system().

Impact
======

A remote attacker could entice a user to open a feed with specially
crafted URLs, possibly resulting in the remote execution of arbitrary
shell commands with the privileges of the user running the application.

Workaround
==========

There is no known workaround at this time.

Resolution
==========

All Newsbeuter users should upgrade to the latest version:

# emerge --sync
# emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose "gt;=net-news/newsbeuter-1.2"

References
==========

[ 1 ] CVE-2008-3907
http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2008-3907

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

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

http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200809-12.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