kernel security and bug fix update (RHSA-2015-0674)

Original Release Date: April 9, 2015
Last Revised: November 8, 2016
Number: ASA-2015-140
Risk Level: Medium
Advisory Version: 2.0
Advisory Status: Final

1. Overview:

The kernel packages contain the Linux kernel, the core of any Linux operating system.

It was found that the Linux kernel's Infiniband subsystem did not properly sanitize input parameters while registering memory regions from user space via the (u)verbs API. A local user with access to a /dev/infiniband/uverbsX device could use this flaw to crash the system or, potentially, escalate their privileges on the system. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-2014-8159 to this issue.

A flaw was found in the way the Linux kernel's splice() system call validated its parameters. On certain file systems, a local, unprivileged user could use this flaw to write past the maximum file size, and thus crash the system. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-2014-7822 to this issue.

A flaw was found in the way the Linux kernel's netfilter subsystem handled generic protocol tracking. As demonstrated in the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) case, a remote attacker could use this flaw to bypass intended iptables rule restrictions when the associated connection tracking module was not loaded on the system. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-2014-8160 to this issue.

It was found that the fix for CVE-2014-3601 was incomplete: the Linux kernel's kvm_iommu_map_pages() function still handled IOMMU mapping failures incorrectly. A privileged user in a guest with an assigned host device could use this flaw to crash the host. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-2014-8369 to this issue.

More information about these vulnerabilities can be found in the security advisory issued by Red Hat:

2. Avaya System Products using a modified version of RHEL6 with affected packages installed:

Product: Affected Version(s): Risk Level: Actions:
Avaya CMS R17 through R17 R4 Medium Upgrade to R17 R5 or later or R18 or later.
Avaya Breeze™ Platform 2.x, 3.0 through 3.0 SP3 Medium Upgrade to 3.0 SP4 or later.
Avaya Aura® Conferencing 8.0 through 8.0 SP4 Low Upgrade to 8.0 SP5 or later.
Avaya Aura® Experience Portal 6.x, 7.x Medium For 6.x, upgrade to 6.0.3 and install security update 2016-04 or later.
For 7.x, upgrade to 7.0.2 and install security update 2015-10 or later.
Avaya IP Office Server Edition 8.1, 9.0 through 9.1.5 Medium Upgrade to 9.1.6 or later.
Avaya IP Office Application Server 9.0 through 9.1.5 Medium Upgrade to 9.1.6 or later.
Avaya one-X® Client Enablement Services 6.2 through 6.2 SP3 Medium Upgrade to 6.2 SP4 or later.
Avaya Session Border Controller for Enterprise 6.3 through 6.3.4 Medium Upgrade to 6.3.5 or later.
Avaya Aura® Session Manager 6.3 through 6.3.14 Low Upgrade to 6.3.15 or later.

Recommended Actions for System Products:
Avaya strongly recommends following networking and security best practices by implementing firewalls, ACLs, physical security or other appropriate access restrictions. Though Avaya believes such restrictions should always be in place, risk to Avaya products and the surrounding network from this potential vulnerability may be mitigated by ensuring these practices are implemented until such time as an Avaya provided product update or the recommended Avaya action is applied. Further restrictions as deemed necessary based on the customer's security policies may be required during this interim period, but the System Product operating system or application should not be modified unless the change is approved by Avaya. Making changes that are not approved may void the Avaya product service contract.

Mitigating Factors:

When determining risk, Avaya takes into account many factors as outlined by Avaya's Security Vulnerability Classification Policy. The following table describes factors that mitigate the risk of specific vulnerabilities for affected Avaya products:

Vulnerability Mitigating Factors
CVE-2014-8159 The risk is rated None for all listed products because infiniband kernel modules are not loaded by default.
CVE-2014-7822 The risk is rated Low for Conferencing and SM because all local users are privileged users and exploiting this vulnerability will not give them additional capabilities.
The risk is rated Medium for all other listed products because of the potential for a local, unpriviliged user to crash the system.
CVE-2014-8160 The risk is rated None for all listed products because SCTP is not used by default.
CVE-2014-8369 The risk is rated None for all listed products because Kernel-based Virtualization (KVM) is not used.

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.

Product: Actions:
Avaya Aura® Experience Portal Depending on the Operating System installed, the affected package may be installed on the underlying Operating System supporting the EP application.

Recommended Actions for Software-Only Products:
In the event that the affected package is installed, Avaya recommends following recommended actions supplied by Red Hat regarding their Enterprise 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, IS PROVIDED "AS IS", AND IS APPLICABLE ONLY TO PRODUCT VERSIONS ELIGIBLE FOR MANUFACTURER SUPPORT IN ACCORDANCE WITH AVAYA PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE POLICY. 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 - April 9, 2015 - Initial Statement issued.
V 2.0 - November 8, 2016 - Updated all products and set the advisory status to Final.

Avaya customers or Business Partners should report any security issues found with Avaya products via the standard support process.
Independent security researchers can contact Avaya at securityalerts@avaya.com.

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