TUCoPS :: Unix :: Various Flavours :: ciacj072.txt

IBM AIX Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

             __________________________________________________________

                       The U.S. Department of Energy
                    Computer Incident Advisory Capability
                           ___  __ __    _     ___
                          /       |     /_\   /
                          \___  __|__  /   \  \___
             __________________________________________________________

                             INFORMATION BULLETIN

                    IBM AIX Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

September 29, 1999 17:00 GMT                                      Number J-072
______________________________________________________________________________
PROBLEM:       A buffer overflow vulnerability has been found in the AIX 4.3.x 
               ftpd daemon that allows remote attackers to gain root access. 
PLATFORM:      IBM AIX 4.3.x 
DAMAGE:        If exploited, a remote intruder can cause a buffer overflow 
               leading to root access. 
SOLUTION:      Apply the available temporary fix. 
______________________________________________________________________________
VULNERABILITY  Risk is high. This exploit is available on the internet and can 
ASSESSMENT:    cause a total system compromise. 
______________________________________________________________________________

[Start IBM Advisory]


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                           EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICE
                          SECURITY VULNERABILITY ALERT

29 September 1999 11:30 GMT                      Number:ERS-SVA-E01-1999:004.1
==============================================================================
                           VULNERABILITY SUMMARY

VULNERABILITY:    Remote buffer overflow in ftpd daemon.

PLATFORMS:        IBM AIX(r) 4.3.x

SOLUTION:         Apply the fixes listed below.

THREAT:           Remote users can become root.

==============================================================================
                           DETAILED INFORMATION

I.  Description

A buffer overflow vulnerability has been found in the AIX 4.3.x ftpd
daemon that allows remote attackers to gain root access.  Example
exploit code has been publically released.


II.  Solutions

  A.  How to alleviate the problem

      A temporary fix is available via anonymous ftp from:

         ftp://aix.software.ibm.com/aix/efixes/security/ftpd.tar.Z

      Filename     sum                md5
      =================================================================
      ftpd         02584   147        4577818c9c95b47ffc915ab750f36bd3

      This temporary fix has not been fully regression tested.  Use the
      following steps (as root) to install the temporary fix:

      1. Uncompress and extract the fix.

         # uncompress < ftpd.tar.Z | tar xf -
         # cd ftpd

      2. Replace the vulnerable ftpd.

         # mv /usr/sbin/ftpd /usr/sbin/ftpd.before_security_fix
         # chown root.system /usr/sbin/ftpd.before_security_fix
         # chmod 0 /usr/sbin/ftpd.before_security_fix
         # cp ./ftpd /usr/sbin/ftpd
         # chown root.system /usr/sbin/ftpd
         # chmod 4554 /usr/sbin/ftpd

  B.  Official fix

      IBM is working on the following fixes which will be available soon.

         AIX 4.2.x and earlier:  not vulnerable
         AIX 4.3.x:  IY04477


III. Obtaining Fixes

IBM AIX APARs may be ordered using Electronic Fix Distribution (via the
FixDist program), or from the IBM Support Center.  For more information
on FixDist, and to obtain fixes via the Internet, please reference

   http://techsupport.services.ibm.com/support/rs6000.support/downloads

or send electronic mail to "aixserv@austin.ibm.com" with the word
"FixDist" in the "Subject:" line.  To facilitate ease of ordering all
security related APARs for each AIX release, security fixes are
periodically bundled into a cumulative APAR.  For more information on
these cumulative APARs including last update and list of individual
fixes, send electronic mail to "aixserv@austin.ibm.com" with the word
"subscribe Security_APARs" in the "Subject:" line.


IV.  Contact Information

Comments regarding the content of this announcement can be directed to
your local IBM support center or to:

   security-alert@austin.ibm.com

To request the PGP public key that can be used to encrypt new AIX
security vulnerabilities, send email to security-alert@austin.ibm.com
with a subject of "get key".

If you would like to subscribe to the AIX security newsletter, send a
note to aixserv@austin.ibm.com with a subject of "subscribe Security".
To cancel your subscription, use a subject of "unsubscribe Security".
To see a list of other available subscriptions, use a subject of
"help".

IBM and AIX are a registered trademark of International Business
Machines Corporation.  All other trademarks are property of their
respective holders.

==========================================================================


IBM's Internet Emergency Response Service (IBM-ERS) is a subscription-based
Internet security response service that includes computer security incident
response and management, regular electronic verification of your Internet
gateway(s), and security vulnerability alerts similar to this one that are
tailored to your specific computing environment.  By acting as an extension
of your own internal security staff, IBM-ERS's team of Internet security
experts helps you quickly detect and respond to attacks and exposures across
your Internet connection(s).

As a part of IBM's Business Recovery Services organization, the IBM Internet
Emergency Response Service is a component of IBM's SecureWay(tm) line of
security products and services.  From hardware to software to consulting,
SecureWay solutions can give you the assurance and expertise you need to
protect your valuable business resources.  To find out more about the IBM
Internet Emergency Response Service, send an electronic mail message to
ers-sales@ers.ibm.com, or call 1-800-599-9950.

IBM-ERS maintains a site on the World Wide Web at http://www.ers.ibm.com/.
Visit the site for information about the service, copies of security alerts,
team contact information, and other items.

IBM-ERS uses Pretty Good Privacy* (PGP*) as the digital signature mechanism
for security vulnerability alerts and other distributed information.  The 
IBM-ERS PGP* public key is available from
http://www.ers.ibm.com/team-info/pgpkey.html.
"Pretty Good Privacy" and "PGP" are trademarks of Philip Zimmermann.

IBM-ERS is a Member Team of the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams
(FIRST), a global organization established to foster cooperation and response
coordination among computer security teams worldwide.

Copyright 1999 International Business Machines Corporation.

The information in this document is provided as a service to customers of
the IBM Emergency Response Service.  Neither International Business Machines
Corporation, nor any of its employees, makes any warranty, express or implied,
or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, complete-
ness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process
contained herein, or represents that its use would not infringe any 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 IBM or its subsidiaries.  The views and opinions of authors expressed
herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of IBM or its subsidiaries,
and may not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

The material in this security alert may be reproduced and distributed,
without permission, in whole or in part, by other security incident response
teams (both commercial and non-commercial), provided the above copyright is
kept intact and due credit is given to IBM-ERS.

This security alert may be reproduced and distributed, without permission,
in its entirety only, by any person provided such reproduction and/or
distribution is performed for non-commercial purposes and with the intent of
increasing the awareness of the Internet community.


[End IBM Advisory]
______________________________________________________________________________
CIAC wishes to acknowledge the contributions of IBM for the information 
contained in this bulletin. 
______________________________________________________________________________


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