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============================================================================FreeBSD-SA-08:05.openssh Security Advisory
The FreeBSD Project
Topic: OpenSSH X11-forwarding privilege escalation
Category: contrib
Module: openssh
Announced: 2008-04-17
Credits: Timo Juhani Lindfors
Affects: All supported versions of FreeBSD
Corrected: 2008-04-16 23:58:33 UTC (RELENG_7, 7.0-STABLE)
2008-04-16 23:58:52 UTC (RELENG_7_0, 7.1-RELEASE-p1)
2008-04-16 23:59:35 UTC (RELENG_6, 6.3-STABLE)
2008-04-16 23:59:48 UTC (RELENG_6_3, 6.3-RELEASE-p2)
2008-04-17 00:00:04 UTC (RELENG_6_2, 6.2-RELEASE-p12)
2008-04-17 00:00:28 UTC (RELENG_6_1, 6.1-RELEASE-p24)
2008-04-17 00:00:41 UTC (RELENG_5, 5.5-STABLE)
2008-04-17 00:00:54 UTC (RELENG_5_5, 5.5-RELEASE-p20)
CVE Name: CVE-2008-1483
For general information regarding FreeBSD Security Advisories,
including descriptions of the fields above, security branches, and the
following sections, please visit .
I. Background
OpenSSH is an implementation of the SSH protocol suite, providing an
encrypted and authenticated transport for a variety of services,
including remote shell access. The OpenSSH server daemon (sshd)
provides support for the X11 protocol by binding to a port on the
server and forwarding any connections which are made to that port.
II. Problem Description
When logging in via SSH with X11-forwarding enabled, sshd(8) fails to
correctly handle the case where it fails to bind to an IPv4 port but
successfully binds to an IPv6 port. In this case, applications which
use X11 will connect to the IPv4 port, even though it had not been
bound by sshd(8) and is therefore not being securely forwarded.
III. Impact
A malicious user could listen for X11 connections on a unused IPv4
port, e.g tcp port 6010. When an unaware user logs in and sets up X11
fowarding the malicious user can capture all X11 data send over the
port, potentially disclosing sensitive information or allowing the
execution of commands with the privileges of the user using the
X11 forwarding.
NOTE WELL: FreeBSD ships with IPv6 enabled by default in the GENERIC
and SMP kernels, so users are vulnerable even they have not explicitly
enabled IPv6 networking.
IV. Workaround
Disable support for IPv6 in the sshd(8) daemon by setting the option
"AddressFamily inet" in /etc/ssh/sshd_config.
Disable support for X11 forwarding in the sshd(8) daemon by setting
the option "X11Forwarding no" in /etc/ssh/sshd_config.
V. Solution
Perform one of the following:
1) Upgrade your vulnerable system to 5-STABLE, 6-STABLE, or 7-STABLE,
or to the RELENG_7_0, RELENG_6_3, RELENG_6_2, RELENG_6_1, RELENG_5_5
security branch dated after the correction date.
2) To patch your present system:
The following patch has been verified to apply to FreeBSD 5.5, 6.1,
6.2, 6.3, and 7.0 systems.
a) Download the relevant patch from the location below, and verify the
detached PGP signature using your PGP utility.
# fetch http://security.FreeBSD.org/patches/SA-08:05/openssh.patch
# fetch http://security.FreeBSD.org/patches/SA-08:05/openssh.patch.asc
b) Execute the following commands as root:
# cd /usr/src
# patch < /path/to/patch
# cd /usr/src/secure/lib/libssh
# make obj && make depend && make && make install
# cd /usr/src/secure/usr.sbin/sshd
# make obj && make depend && make && make install
# /etc/rc.d/sshd restart
VI. Correction details
The following list contains the revision numbers of each file that was
corrected in FreeBSD.
Branch Revision
Path
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
RELENG_5
src/crypto/openssh/channels.c 1.18.2.1
RELENG_5_5
src/UPDATING 1.342.2.35.2.21
src/sys/conf/newvers.sh 1.62.2.21.2.22
src/crypto/openssh/channels.c 1.18.8.1
RELENG_6
src/crypto/openssh/channels.c 1.20.2.3
RELENG_6_3
src/UPDATING 1.416.2.37.2.6
src/sys/conf/newvers.sh 1.69.2.15.2.5
src/crypto/openssh/channels.c 1.20.2.2.4.1
RELENG_6_2
src/UPDATING 1.416.2.29.2.16
src/sys/conf/newvers.sh 1.69.2.13.2.15
src/crypto/openssh/channels.c 1.20.2.2.2.1
RELENG_6_1
src/UPDATING 1.416.2.22.2.27
src/sys/conf/newvers.sh 1.69.2.11.2.26
src/crypto/openssh/channels.c 1.20.2.1.4.1
RELENG_7
src/crypto/openssh/channels.c 1.23.2.1
RELENG_7_0
src/UPDATING 1.507.2.3.2.5
src/sys/conf/newvers.sh 1.72.2.5.2.5
src/crypto/openssh/channels.c 1.23.4.1
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
VII. References
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=463011
http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2008-1483
http://www.openssh.com/txt/release-5.0
The latest revision of this advisory is available at
http://security.FreeBSD.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-08:05.openssh.asc
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