NetBSD Security Advisory 2001-017: sendmail(8) incorrect command line argument check

From: NetBSD Security Officer (security-officerat_private)
Date: Thu Sep 06 2001 - 10:04:54 PDT

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                     NetBSD Security Advisory 2001-017
                     =================================
    
    Topic:		sendmail(8) incorrect command line argument check leads to
    		local root privilege compromise
    
    Version:	NetBSD-current:		source prior to August 22, 2001
    		NetBSD-1.5.1:		affected
    		NetBSD-1.5:		affected
    		NetBSD-1.4 branch:	not-affected
    		pkgsrc:		        sendmail prior to 8.11.6
    
    Severity:	Local root compromise
    
    Fixed:		NetBSD-current:		August 21, 2001
    		NetBSD-1.5 branch:	August 22, 2001
    		pkgsrc:		        sendmail-8.11.6
    
    
    Abstract
    ========
    
    The following text is from sendmail 8.11.6 release note:
    
    SECURITY: Fix a possible memory access violation when specifying
    out-of-bounds debug parameters.  Problem detected by
    Cade Cairns of SecurityFocus.
    
    
    Technical Details
    =================
    
    Certain variables were treated as signed values, but should have been
    unsigned.  Bounds checking was not done when incrementing an index.
    
    Combined with supplied command-line arguments, a local user could
    exploit the setuid-root sendmail binary and the lack of bounds checking
    to perform a root compromise.
    
    
    Solutions and Workarounds
    =========================
    
    If your system is running a sendmail version between 8.10.0 to 8.11.5,
    your system is vulnerable.  Sendmail 8.11.6 is safe.  Check
    /usr/libexec/sendmail/sendmail.
    
    After the upgrade of the binary file, be sure to restart any instances
    of a sendmail daemon running on your system.
    
    * All NetBSD releases using sendmail from pkgsrc between 8.10.0 and 8.11.5:
    
    	If you are using sendmail from pkgsrc, upgrade to the
    	following, or later:
                    sendmail-8.11.6
    
    
    * NetBSD-current:
    
    	Systems running NetBSD-current dated from before 2001-08-21
    	should be upgraded to NetBSD-current dated 2001-08-22 or later.
    
            The following directory needs to be updated from the
            netbsd-current CVS branch (aka HEAD):
                    gnu/dist/sendmail
    		gnu/usr.sbin/sendmail
    
            To update from CVS, re-build, and re-install sendmail:
                    # cd /usr/src/gnu
                    # cvs update -d -P dist/sendmail usr.sbin/sendmail
    		# cd usr.sbin/sendmail
                    # make cleandir all install
    
    
            Alternatively, apply the following patch (with potential offset 
            differences) and rebuild & re-install sendmail:
                    ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/security/patches/SA2001-017-sendmail.patch
    
            To patch, re-build and re-install sendmail
                    # cd /usr/src
                    # patch < /path/to/SA2001-017-sendmail.patch
    		# cd gnu/usr.sbin/sendmail
                    # make cleandir all install    
    
    
    * NetBSD 1.5, 1.5.1
    
            Systems running NetBSD releases on netbsd 1.5 branch (1.5 and 1.5.1)
            should be upgraded to NetBSD 1.5 branch dated 2001-08-23 or later.
    
            The following directories need to be updated from the
            netbsd-1-5 CVS branch:
                    gnu/dist/sendmail
    		gnu/usr.sbin/sendmail
    
            To update from CVS, re-build, and re-install sendmail:
                    # cd /usr/src/gnu
                    # cvs update -d -P -r netbsd-1-5 dist/sendmail usr.sbin/sendmail
    		# cd usr.sbin/sendmail
                    # make cleandir all install
    
    
            Alternatively, apply the following patch (with potential offset
            differences):
                    ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/security/patches/SA2001-017-sendmail.patch
    
            To patch, re-build and re-install sendmail
                    # cd /usr/src
                    # patch < /path/to/SA2001-017-sendmail.patch
    		# cd gnu/usr.sbin/sendmail
                    # make cleandir all install    
    
    
    Thanks To
    =========
    
    Jun-ichiro itojun Hagino for patches.
    
    Cade Cairns of SecurityFocus for discovering the issue.
    
    
    Revision History
    ================
    
    	2001-09-06      Initial release
    
    
    More Information
    ================
    
    An up-to-date PGP signed copy of this release will be maintained at
      ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/security/advisories/NetBSD-SA2001-017.txt.asc
    
    Information about NetBSD and NetBSD security can be found at
    http://www.NetBSD.ORG/ and http://www.NetBSD.ORG/Security/.
    
    
    Copyright 2001, The NetBSD Foundation, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
    
    $NetBSD: NetBSD-SA2001-017.txt,v 1.8 2001/09/06 14:46:04 david Exp $
    
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