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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- =========================================================================== AUSCERT External Security Bulletin Redistribution ESB-2000.287 -- FreeBSD-SA-00:55 xpdf contains multiple vulnerabilities 16 October 2000 =========================================================================== AusCERT Security Bulletin Summary --------------------------------- Product: xpdf Vendor: FreeBSD Ports Collection Operating System: FreeBSD Linux Unix Impact: Overwrite Arbitrary Files Execute Arbitrary Code/Commands Ref: ESB-2000.260 - --------------------------BEGIN INCLUDED TEXT-------------------- - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- ============================================================================= FreeBSD-SA-00:55 Security Advisory FreeBSD, Inc. Topic: xpdf contains multiple vulnerabilities Category: ports Module: xpdf Announced: 2000-10-13 Credits: Unknown Affects: Ports collection prior to the correction date. Corrected: 2000-09-04 (4.1.1-RELEASE) Vendor status: Updated version released FreeBSD only: NO I. Background xpdf is a PDF viewer for X Windows. II. Problem Description The xpdf port, versions prior to 0.91, contains a race condition due to improper handing of temporary files that may allow a local user to overwrite arbitrary files owned by the user running xpdf. Additionally, when handling URLs in documents no checking was done for shell metacharacters before starting the browser. This makes it possible to construct a document which cause xpdf to run arbitrary commands when the user views an URL. The xpdf port is not installed by default, nor is it "part of FreeBSD" as such: it is part of the FreeBSD ports collection, which contains nearly 4000 third-party applications in a ready-to-install format. The ports collections shipped with FreeBSD 3.5.1 and 4.1 contain this problem since it was discovered after the releases, but it was corrected prior to the release of FreeBSD 4.1.1. FreeBSD makes no claim about the security of these third-party applications, although an effort is underway to provide a security audit of the most security-critical ports. III. Impact Local users, using a symlink attack, can cause arbitrary files owned by the user running xpdf to be overwritten. Also, malicious PDFs can cause arbitrary code to be executed. If you have not chosen to install the xpdf port/package, then your system is not vulnerable to this problem. IV. Workaround Deinstall the xpdf port/package, if you you have installed it. V. Solution One of the following: 1) Upgrade your entire ports collection and rebuild the xpdf port. 2) Deinstall the old package and install a new package dated after the correction date, obtained from: ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-3-stable/graphics/xpdf-0.91.tgz ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-4-stable/graphics/xpdf-0.91.tgz ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/alpha/packages-4-stable/graphics/xpdf-0.91.tgz ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-5-current/graphics/xpdf-0.91.tgz ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/alpha/packages-5-current/graphics/xpdf-0.91.tgz 3) download a new port skeleton for the cvsweb port from: http://www.freebsd.org/ports/ and use it to rebuild the port. 4) Use the portcheckout utility to automate option (3) above. The portcheckout port is available in /usr/ports/devel/portcheckout or the package can be obtained from: ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-3-stable/devel/portcheckout-2.0.tgz ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-4-stable/devel/portcheckout-2.0.tgz ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/alpha/packages-4-stable/devel/portcheckout-2.0.tgz ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-5-current/devel/portcheckout-2.0.tgz ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/alpha/packages-5-current/devel/portcheckout-2.0.tgz - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBOebCfVUuHi5z0oilAQEcuAP8DYr3RrCnnysWYS3eVyNJ1sokvXOXZdhZ hI8ialbbpKY+kEtnL0DrUmeJ9c5xsVb70XJQ3D80n8O2N8I9ZAbfiHadY+omZPZX Hpk47MuA3R4G6jXldnyq545/QdK3+uKMLkNiGG63P5VcyUsQ3bpB1uIRIX/a9U6Z rdQfL0s3N0k= =qh/t - -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- - --------------------------END INCLUDED TEXT-------------------- This security bulletin is provided as a service to AusCERT's members. 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Previous advisories and external security bulletins can be retrieved from: http://www.auscert.org.au/Information/advisories.html If you believe that your system has been compromised, contact AusCERT or your representative in FIRST (Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams). Internet Email: auscert@auscert.org.au Facsimile: (07) 3365 7031 Telephone: (07) 3365 4417 (International: +61 7 3365 4417) AusCERT personnel answer during Queensland business hours which are GMT+10:00 (AEST). On call after hours for emergencies. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3i Charset: noconv Comment: ftp://ftp.auscert.org.au/pub/auscert/AUSCERT_PGP.key iQCVAwUBOlSM/yh9+71yA2DNAQEYgwP9HKes0E9uFhD1tVjjLe/XqSHMCl+c9O1P 7zRpcNqI8/ZGyh/EbmV7RQyBFguptlOMz0srR/YPft5HMoOR/4TgDcgLuvAkbwUL zJw4N+8IBnsBkUCHiIlN+3Aamr2bw4mHqiVMD49GA44fvUMG2VOqgm0em9bkP9D5 z8FyNBoFotg= =MEFJ -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----