1. Overview:

The Linux kernel manages the communication between software and hardware as well as the hardware resources of a computer running the Linux operating system.

Red Hat has issued an updated version of the Enterprise Linux 4 kernel packages. Below is a list of the security issues fixed in the update as reported by Red Hat:

• A flaw was found in the virtual filesystem (VFS). A local unprivileged user could truncate directories to which they had write permission; this could render the contents of the directory inaccessible.
• A flaw was found in the implementation of ptrace. A local unprivileged user could trigger this flaw and possibly cause a denial of service (system hang).
• A flaw was found in the way the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 kernel handled page faults when a CPU used the NUMA method for accessing memory on Itanium architectures. A local unprivileged user could trigger this flaw and cause a denial of service (system panic).
• A possible NULL pointer dereference was found in the chrp_show_cpuinfo function when using the PowerPC architecture. This may have allowed a local unprivileged user to cause a denial of service (crash).
• A flaw was found in the way core dump files were created. If a local user can get a root-owned process to dump a core file into a directory, which the user has write access to, they could gain read access to that core file. This could potentially grant unauthorized access to sensitive information.
• Two buffer overflow flaws were found in the Linux kernel ISDN subsystem. A local unprivileged user could use these flaws to cause a denial of service.

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the names CVE-2008-0001, CVE-2007-5500, CVE-2007-4130, CVE-2007-6694, CVE-2007-6206, CVE-2007-6063 and CVE-2007-6151 to these issues.

More information about these vulnerabilities can be found in the security advisory issued by RedHat Linux:

• https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2008-0055.html

2. Avaya System Products with kernel installed:

Recommended Actions:
For all vulnerable system products, Avaya recommends that customers restrict local and network access to the server. This restriction should be enforced through the use of physical security, firewalls, ACLs, VPNs, and other generally-accepted networking practices until such time as an update becomes available and can be installed.

3. Avaya Software-Only Products:

Avaya software-only products operate on general-purpose operating systems. Occasionally vulnerabilities may be discovered in the underlying operating system or applications that come with the operating system. These vulnerabilities often do not impact the software-only product directly but may threaten the integrity of the underlying platform.

In the case of this advisory Avaya software-only products are not affected by the vulnerability directly but the underlying Linux platform may be. Customers should determine on which Linux operating system the product was installed and then follow that vendor's guidance.

Recommended Actions:
In the event that the affected package is installed, Avaya recommends that customers follow recommended actions supplied by RedHat Linux.

4. Additional Information:

Additional information may also be available via the Avaya support website and through your Avaya account representative. Please contact your Avaya product support representative, or dial 1-800-242-2121, with any questions.

5. Disclaimer:

ALL INFORMATION IS BELIEVED TO BE CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATION AND IS PROVIDED "AS IS". AVAYA INC., ON BEHALF ITSELF AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES (HEREINAFTER COLLECTIVELY REFERRED TO AS "AVAYA"), DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FURTHERMORE, AVAYA MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES THAT THE STEPS RECOMMENDED WILL ELIMINATE SECURITY OR VIRUS THREATS TO CUSTOMERS' SYSTEMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL AVAYA BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE INFORMATION OR RECOMMENDED ACTIONS PROVIDED HEREIN, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, STATUTORY, CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF AVAYA HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE DOES NOT AFFECT THE SUPPORT AGREEMENTS IN PLACE FOR AVAYA PRODUCTS. SUPPORT FOR AVAYA PRODUCTS CONTINUES TO BE EXECUTED AS PER EXISTING AGREEMENTS WITH AVAYA.

6. Revision History:

V 1.0 - March 11, 2008 - Initial Statement issued.
V 2.0 - May 20, 2008 - Removed Communication Manager and SIP Enablement Services from affected products list after further investigation.
V 3.0 - February 11, 2009 - Added Communication Manager and SIP Enablement Services to affected products.
V 4.0 - March 6, 2009 - Changed MSS affected verions and recommended actions.
V 5.0 - June 22, 2009 - Updated actions for CM, SES, AES and VP.

Send information regarding any discovered security problems with Avaya products to either the contact noted in the product's documentation or securityalerts@avaya.com.

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