__________________________________________________________
The U.S. Department of Energy
Computer Incident Advisory Capability
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INFORMATION BULLETIN
HP Tru64 UNIX Software Installation and Update Utilities Vulnerability
[Hewkett-Packard Security Bulletin SSRT3471]
April 30, 2003 16:00 GMT Number N-086
______________________________________________________________________________
PROBLEM: HP Tru64 UNIX uses the dupatch and setld utilities to install
operating system updates and patches, and to add new software
kits to the system. When these scripts are run as root they are
potentially vulnerable to symlink attacks.
SOFTWARE: HP Tru64 UNIX:
V5.1B PK1 and earlier
V5.1A PK4 and earlier
V5.1 PK6 and earlier
V5.0A PK3 and earlier
V4.0G PK3 and earlier
V4.0F PK7 and earlier
DAMAGE: A symlink attack typically results in a denial of service, but
could potentially allow root penetration by a local user.
SOLUTION: Apply workaround as listed in the HP bulletin.
______________________________________________________________________________
VULNERABILITY The risk is MEDIUM. It is normal to be running as root when the
ASSESSMENT: above mentioned utilities are run.
______________________________________________________________________________
LINKS:
CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/n-086.shtml
ORIGINAL BULLETIN: http://thenew.hp.com/country/us/eng/support.html
______________________________________________________________________________
[***** Start Hewkett-Packard Security Bulletin SSRT3471 *****]
HP SECURITY BULLETIN
TITLE: SSRT3471 - HP Tru64 UNIX Potential Security Vulnerability
in Software Installation and Update Utilities
REVISION: 0
NOTICE: There are no restrictions for distribution of this Bulletin
provided that it remains complete and intact.
RELEASE DATE: April 2003
SEVERITY: High
SOURCE: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY
Software Security Response Team
REFERENCE: SSRT3471
PROBLEM SUMMARY
This bulletin will be posted to the support website
within 24 hours of release to -
http://thenew.hp.com/country/us/eng/support.html
Use the SEARCH IN feature box, enter SSRT3471 in the search
window.
SSRT3471 dupatch and setld utilities (Severity High)
HP Tru64 UNIX uses the dupatch and setld utilities to install
operating system updates and patches, and to add new software kits
to the system. When these scripts are run as root, the normal case,
they are potentially vulnerable to symlink attacks. A symlink attack
typically results in a denial of service, but could potentially allow
root penetration by a local user.
VERSIONS IMPACTED
HP Tru64 UNIX:
V5.1B PK1 and earlier
V5.1A PK4 and earlier
V5.1 PK6 and earlier
V5.0A PK3 and earlier
V4.0G PK3 and earlier
V4.0F PK7 and earlier
NOT IMPACTED
HP-UX
HP-MPE/ix
HP NonStop Servers
HP OpenVMS
RESOLUTION
HP Tru64 UNIX Recommended Workaround
HP recommends that before applying patches, installing new
software, or upgrading the operating system, the system should be
shut down to single-user mode as outlined in the Tru64 UNIX
Installation Guide or Patch Kit Installation Instructions. Once user
processes are no longer active on the system, remove suspicious
files from the temporary directories using the /usr/sbin/dirclean
utility as shown in the example below. It is then safe to proceed
with dupatch or setld.
If the /usr/sbin/dirclean utility is not present on your system,
follow the instructions at http://h30097.www3.hp.com/unix/security-
download.html to download a version to your system.
To apply patches or install new software on a TruCluster member,
first shut the member down to single-user mode and change the
protection on the temporary directories to allow write access only by
root. This prevents malicious access from processes executing on
other TruCluster members (any normal process uses the temporary
directories of the member on which it executes). Then use the
dirclean utility as in the example. After installing updates,
patches or new software, restore world-write access to the temporary
directories before continuing the system.
Shut the system to single-user mode as described in the Tru64 UNIX
Installation Guide or Patch Kit Installation Instructions
Examine existing protection on temporary directories
$ ls -dl /var/cluster/members/{memb}/tmp/
drwxrwxrwt 3 root system 8192 Feb 20 17:09
/var/cluster/members/{memb}/tmp//
If you have a clustered system, change directory permissions to
allow write access to root only
$ chmod 700 /var/cluster/members/{memb}/tmp/
$ ls -dl /var/cluster/members/{memb}/tmp/
drwx------ 3 root system 8192 Feb 20 17:09
/var/cluster/members/{memb}/tmp//
Verify the files to be removed by dirclean
$ /usr/sbin/dirclean -k bcf -n /var/tmp/
Remove the files
$ /usr/dirclean -k bcf /var/tmp/
At this point, it is safe to use dupatch or setld.
When you are finished, restore normal protection to temporary
directories
$ chmod 1777 /var/cluster/members/{memb}/tmp/
$ ls -dl /var/cluster/members/{memb}/tmp/
drwxrwxrwt 3 root system 8192 Feb 20 17:09
/var/cluster/members/{memb}/tmp//
SUPPORT:
For further information, contact HP Services.
SUBSCRIBE:
To subscribe to automatically receive future Security Advisories from
the Software Security Response Team via electronic mail:
http://www.support.compaq.com/patches/mail-list.shtml
REPORT:
To report a potential security vulnerability with any HP supported
product, send email to: security-alert@hp.com
As always, HP urges you to periodically review your system
management and security procedures. HP will continue to review
and enhance the security features of its products and work with our
customers to maintain and improve the security and integrity of their
systems.
"HP is broadly distributing this Security Bulletin in order to bring
to the attention of users of the affected HP products the important
security information contained in this Bulletin. HP recommends that
all users determine the applicability of this information to their
individual situations and take appropriate action. HP does not
warrant that this information is necessarily accurate or complete for
all user situations and, consequently, HP will not be responsible for
any damages resulting from user's use or disregard of the
information provided in this Bulletin."
(c)Copyright 2001, 2003 Hewlett-Packard Development Company,
L.P.
Hewlett-Packard Company shall not be liable for technical or
editorial errors or omissions contained herein. The information in
this document is subject to change without notice. Hewlett-Packard
Company and the names of Hewlett-Packard products referenced
herein are trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Company in the United
States and other countries. Other product and company names
mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
[***** End Hewkett-Packard Security Bulletin SSRT3471 *****]
_______________________________________________________________________________
CIAC wishes to acknowledge the contributions of Hewkett-Packard for the
information contained in this bulletin.
_______________________________________________________________________________
CIAC, the Computer Incident Advisory Capability, is the computer
security incident response team for the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) and the emergency backup response team for the National
Institutes of Health (NIH). CIAC is located at the Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory in Livermore, California. CIAC is also a founding
member of FIRST, the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams, a
global organization established to foster cooperation and coordination
among computer security teams worldwide.
CIAC services are available to DOE, DOE contractors, and the NIH. CIAC
can be contacted at:
Voice: +1 925-422-8193 (7x24)
FAX: +1 925-423-8002
STU-III: +1 925-423-2604
E-mail: ciac@ciac.org
Previous CIAC notices, anti-virus software, and other information are
available from the CIAC Computer Security Archive.
World Wide Web: http://www.ciac.org/
Anonymous FTP: ftp.ciac.org
PLEASE NOTE: Many users outside of the DOE, ESnet, and NIH computing
communities receive CIAC bulletins. If you are not part of these
communities, please contact your agency's response team to report
incidents. Your agency's team will coordinate with CIAC. The Forum of
Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) is a world-wide
organization. A list of FIRST member organizations and their
constituencies can be obtained via WWW at http://www.first.org/.
This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an
agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States
Government nor the University of California nor any of their
employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any
legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or
usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process
disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately
owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial products,
process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or
otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement,
recommendation or favoring by the United States Government or the
University of California. The views and opinions of authors expressed
herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States
Government or the University of California, and shall not be used for
advertising or product endorsement purposes.
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