New kernels are available for Slackware 9.0, 9.1 and -current. The 9.1 and -current kernels have been upgraded to 2.4.24, and a fix has been backported to the 2.4.21 kernels in Slackware 9.0 to fix a bounds-checking problem in the kernel's mremap() call which could be used by a local attacker to gain root privileges. Sites should upgrade to the 2.4.24 kernel and kernel modules. After installing the new kernel, be sure to run 'lilo'.

More details about this issue may be found in the Common
Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database:

http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CAN-2003-0985


Here are the details from the Slackware 9.1 ChangeLog:
+--------------------------+
Tue Jan 6 15:01:54 PST 2004
patches/kernels/: Upgraded to Linux 2.4.24. This fixes a bounds-checking
problem in the kernel's mremap() call which could be used by a local attacker
to gain root privileges. Sites should upgrade to the 2.4.24 kernel and
kernel modules. After installing the new kernel, be sure to run 'lilo'.
For more details, see:
http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CAN-2003-0985
Thanks to Paul Starzetz for finding and researching this issue.
(* Security fix *)
patches/packages/alsa-driver-0.9.8-i486-2.tgz: Recompiled against
linux-2.4.24.
patches/packages/cvs-1.11.11-i486-1.tgz: Upgraded to cvs-1.11.11.
This version enforces greater security. Changes include pserver
refusing to run as root, and logging attempts to exploit the security
hole fixed in 1.11.10 in the syslog.
patches/packages/kernel-ide-2.4.24-i486-1.tgz: Upgraded bare.i kernel
package to Linux 2.4.24.
patches/packages/kernel-modules-2.4.24-i486-1.tgz: Upgraded to Linux
2.4.24 kernel modules.
patches/packages/kernel-source-2.4.24-noarch-2.tgz: Upgraded to Linux
2.4.24 kernel source, with XFS and Speakup patches included (but not
pre-applied). This uses the XFS and Speakup patches for 2.4.23, which
should be fine since 2.4.24 didn't change much code. Proper XFS
patches for 2.4.24 will probably be out soon to fix the one Makefile
rejection for EXTRAVERSION = -xfs, but likely little else will be
different since XFS development has already gone ahead to what is now
the 2.4.25-pre kernel series.
patches/packages/kernel-modules-xfs/alsa-driver-xfs-0.9.8-i486-2.tgz:
Recompiled against linux-2.4.24-xfs.
patches/packages/kernel-modules-xfs/kernel-modules-xfs-2.4.24-i486-1.tgz:
Upgraded to Linux 2.4.24 kernel modules for the xfs.s (XFS patched)
kernel.
+--------------------------+


WHERE TO FIND THE NEW PACKAGES:
+-----------------------------+

Updated packages for Slackware 9.0:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.0/patches/packages/kernel-ide-2.4.21-i486-3.tgz
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.0/patches/packages/kernel-source-2.4.21-noarch-3.tgz

An alternate kernel may be installed. Those are found in this directory:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.0/patches/kernels/


Updated packages for Slackware 9.1:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.1/patches/packages/kernel-ide-2.4.24-i486-1.tgz
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.1/patches/packages/kernel-modules-2.4.24-i486-1.tgz
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.1/patches/packages/kernel-source-2.4.24-noarch-1.tgz

An alternate kernel may be installed. Those are found in this directory:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.1/patches/kernels/

The ALSA driver package has also been recompiled for 2.4.24:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.1/patches/packages/alsa-driver-0.9.8-i486-2.tgz

The XFS patched kernel requires different kernel modules. If you use
the XFS filesystem and XFS patched kernel (xfs.s), these packages
contain kernel modules compiled against 2.4.24-xfs:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.1/patches/packages/kernel-modules-xfs/alsa-driver-xfs-0.9.8-i486-2.tgz
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.1/patches/packages/kernel-modules-xfs/kernel-modules-xfs-2.4.24-i486-1.tgz


Updated packages for Slackware -current:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-current/slackware/a/kernel-ide-2.4.24-i486-1.tgz
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-current/slackware/a/kernel-modules-2.4.24-i486-1.tgz
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-current/slackware/d/kernel-headers-2.4.24-i386-1.tgz
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-current/slackware/k/kernel-source-2.4.24-noarch-1.tgz
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-current/slackware/l/alsa-driver-1.0.0rc2-i486-2.tgz
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-current/extra/kernel-modules-xfs/alsa-driver-xfs-1.0.0rc2-i486-2.tgz
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-current/extra/kernel-modules-xfs/kernel-modules-xfs-2.4.24-i486-1.tgz


MD5 SIGNATURES:
+-------------+

MD5 signatures may be downloaded from our FTP server:

Slackware 9.0 packages:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.0/patches/CHECKSUMS.md5

To verify authenticity, this file has been signed with the Slackware
GPG key (use 'gpg --verify'):

ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.0/patches/CHECKSUMS.md5.asc


Slackware 9.1 packages:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.1/patches/CHECKSUMS.md5

To verify authenticity, this file has been signed with the Slackware
GPG key (use 'gpg --verify'):

ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-9.1/patches/CHECKSUMS.md5.asc


Slackware -current packages:
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-current/CHECKSUMS.md5
ftp://ftp.slackware.com/pub/slackware/slackware-current/CHECKSUMS.md5.asc


INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:
+------------------------+

Use upgradepkg to install the new kernel, kernel-modules, and alsa packages.
After installing the kernel-ide package you will need to run lilo ('lilo' at
a command prompt) or create a new system boot disk ('makebootdisk'), and
reboot.

If desired, a kernel from the kernels/ directory may be used instead. For
example, to use the kernel in kernels/scsi.s/, you would copy it to the
boot directory like this:

cd kernels/scsi.s
cp bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-scsi.s-2.4.24

Create a symbolic link:
ln -sf /boot/vmlinuz-scsi.s-2.4.24 /boot/vmlinuz

Then, run 'lilo' or create a new system boot disk and reboot.