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              AUSCERT External Security Bulletin Redistribution
                                    
       ESB-98.174 -- HEWLETT-PACKARD SECURITY BULLETIN: HPSBUX9811-087
                     Security Vulnerability in vacation
                                    
                              17 November 1998

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Hewlett Packard has released the following bulletin concerning a
vulnerability in the vacation program shipped with HP-UX. This
vulnerability may allow remote users to modify system files.

- ---------------------------BEGIN INCLUDED TEXT------------------

                        HP Support Information Digests

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

Digest Name:  Daily Security Bulletins Digest
    Created:  Mon Nov 16  3:00:03 PST 1998

Table of Contents:

Document ID      Title
- ---------------  -----------
HPSBUX9811-087   Security Vulnerability in vacation

The documents are listed below.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Document ID:  HPSBUX9811-087
Date Loaded:  19981115
      Title:  Security Vulnerability in vacation

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY SECURITY BULLETIN: #00087, 16 November 1998
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------

The information in the following Security Bulletin should be acted upon
as soon as possible.  Hewlett-Packard Company will not be liable for any
consequences to any customer resulting from customer's failure to fully
implement instructions in this Security Bulletin as soon as possible.

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROBLEM: The vacation program erroneously passes parameters to sendmail.

PLATFORM: HP 9000 series 700/800 running HP-UX releases 9.X, 10.X
          and 11.0.

DAMAGE:  Remote users could modify system files.

SOLUTION: Install the patches listed below.

AVAILABILITY:  All patches are available now.

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
I.
   A. Background
      The vacation program shipped with HP-UX in /usr/bin/vacation
      suffers from a fault in that it misunderstands it's inputs and
      invokes sendmail with the wrong parameters.  Both sendmail 5.65
      and 8.7.6 are vulnerable to this malady.  Also the vacation
      program ignores a TO: header when the "O" is upper case.

   B. Fixing the problem
      Install the applicable patch:

       HP-UX revision 11.X for HP9000 Series 7/800:       PHNE_16295
       HP-UX revision 10.20 for HP9000 Series 7/800:      PHNE_14042
       HP-UX revision 10.0X-10 for HP9000 Series 7/800:   PHNE_16726
       HP-UX revision 9.X  for HP9000 Series 7/800:       PHNE_16725

   C. To subscribe to automatically receive future NEW HP Security
      Bulletins from the HP Electronic Support Center via electronic
      mail, do the following:

      Use your browser to get to the HP Electronic Support Center page
      at:

        http://us-support.external.hp.com
               (for US, Canada, Asia-Pacific, & Latin-America)
        http://europe-support.external.hp.com     (for Europe)

      Login with your user ID and password (or register for one).
      Remember to save the User ID assigned to you, and your password.
      Once you are in the Main Menu:
      To -subscribe- to future HP Security Bulletins,
        click on "Support Information Digests".
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        click on the "Search Technical Knowledge Database."

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      Once in the archive there is another link to our current Security
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      The security patch matrix is also available via anonymous ftp:

      us-ffs.external.hp.com
      ~ftp/export/patches/hp-ux_patch_matrix

   D. To report new security vulnerabilities, send email to

       security-alert@hp.com

      Please encrypt any exploit information using the security-alert
      PGP key, available from your local key server, or by sending a
      message with a -subject- (not body) of 'get key' (no quotes) to
      security-alert@hp.com.

     Permission is granted for copying and circulating this Bulletin to
     Hewlett-Packard (HP) customers (or the Internet community) for the
     purpose of alerting them to problems, if and only if, the Bulletin
     is not edited or changed in any way, is attributed to HP, and
     provided such reproduction and/or distribution is performed for
     non-commercial purposes.

     Any other use of this information is prohibited. HP is not liable
     for any misuse of this information by any third party.
________________________________________________________________________

- -----End of Document ID:  HPSBUX9811-087--------------------------------------

- ---------------------------END INCLUDED TEXT--------------------

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