From agent99@boytoy.csd.sgi.com Wed Oct 30 20:41:11 1996 Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 17:27:57 -0800 From: SGI Security Coordinator To: agent99@sgi.com Subject: SGI Security Advisory 19961001-01-PX Sysmon Subsystem DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS: NONE - FOR PUBLIC RELEASE -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- ______________________________________________________________________________ Silicon Graphics Inc. Security Advisory Title: IRIX 5.0.x, 5.1.x, 5.2, 5.3, 6.0.x, 6.1 and 6.2 Title: Desktop System Monitor Subsystem Vulnerability Number: 19961001-01-PX Date: October 30, 1996 ______________________________________________________________________________ Silicon Graphics provides this information freely to the SGI user community for its consideration, interpretation, implementation and use. Silicon Graphics recommends that this information be acted upon as soon as possible. Silicon Graphics will not be liable for any indirect, special, or consequential damages arising from the use of, failure to use or improper use of any of the instructions or information in this Security Advisory. ______________________________________________________________________________ As part of on-going security activities, Silicon Graphics Engineering and Worldwide Customer Service divisions have discovered a vulnerability in the IRIX 5.0.x, 5.1.x, 5.2, 5.3, 6.0.x, 6.1 and 6.2 Desktop System Monitor subsystem. Silicon Graphics Inc. has investigated the issue and recommends the following steps for neutralizing the exposure. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that these measures be implemented on ALL SGI systems running IRIX versions 5.0.x, 5.1.x, 5.2, 5.3, 6.0.x, 6.1 and 6.2. This issue will be corrected in future releases of IRIX. - -------------- - --- Impact --- - -------------- The purpose of the Desktop System Monitor subsystem is to provide a set of programs that monitor and report system activity. The programs work in conjunction to provide system status and report possible error or critical conditions. The security vulnerability found within this set of programs could allow an unprivileged user to execute any existing binary as other UIDs including possibly root. It should be noted that exploit is very obscure and difficult. Additionally, a local account and physical access to the console is required in order to exploit this vulnerability. - ---------------- - --- Solution --- - ---------------- **** IRIX 4.x **** This version of IRIX is not vulnerable as the Desktop System Monitor subsystem is not part of available software for this IRIX version. No action is required. **** IRIX 5.0.x, 5.1.x, and 5.2 **** There is no patch available for IRIX operating system versions 5.0.x, 5.1.x, and 5.2. However, two possible actions still remain to address this vulnerability in these IRIX versions. The first option is to upgrade the system to IRIX 5.3 or higher and then install the security patch for that version. See the sections below for IRIX 5.3 and higher for more information. For those systems that can not be upgraded, the /etc/syslog.conf file can be edited to disable the service that is vulnerable. 1) Become the root user on the system. % /bin/su - Password: # 2) Edit the file /etc/syslog.conf. Place a "#" as the first character of the sysmonpp line to comment out and deactivate the service. # vi /etc/syslog.conf {Find the following line} *.crit |/var/adm/sysmonpp /var/adm/SYSLOG {Place a "#" as the first character of the sysmonpp line} #*.crit |/var/adm/sysmonpp /var/adm/SYSLOG {Save the file and exit} 3) Force syslogd to re-read the configuration file. # /etc/killall -HUP syslogd 4) Return to previous level. # exit $ **** IRIX 5.3 **** For the IRIX operating system version 5.3, an inst-able patch is available. This patch is the same patch as available for IRIX 6.1. Please, refer to the section below for IRIX 6.1. **** IRIX 6.0.x **** IRIX operating system version 6.0.x was a limited release version. For the IRIX operating system version 6.0.x an upgrade to 6.1 or better is required first. When the upgrade is completed, then the security patches described in the following sections can be applied depending on the final version of the upgrade. **** IRIX 5.3 and 6.1 **** For the IRIX operating system versions 5.3 and 6.1 an inst-able patch has been generated and made available via anonymous FTP and your service/support provider. The patch is number 1110 and will install on IRIX 5.3 and 6.1. The SGI anonymous FTP site is sgigate.sgi.com (204.94.209.1) or its mirror, ftp.sgi.com. Patch 1110 can be found in the following directories on the FTP server: ~ftp/Security or ~ftp/Patches/5.3 ~ftp/Patches/6.1 ##### Checksums #### The actual patch will be a tar file containing the following files: Filename: README.patch.1110 Algorithm #1 (sum -r): 26694 8 README.patch.1110 Algorithm #2 (sum): 47465 8 README.patch.1110 MD5 checksum: 0A6217E4932A04E2D3BCE5B7FFDC6741 Filename: patchSG0001110 Algorithm #1 (sum -r): 51217 4 patchSG0001110 Algorithm #2 (sum): 64545 4 patchSG0001110 MD5 checksum: 366A2A19ABED47A5A0B4A25B4876051A Filename: patchSG0001110.idb Algorithm #1 (sum -r): 53794 14 patchSG0001110.idb Algorithm #2 (sum): 65228 14 patchSG0001110.idb MD5 checksum: 8B7505A98DF8CA687586026F204DB6A6 Filename: patchSG0001110.insight_sw Algorithm #1 (sum -r): 17118 6066 patchSG0001110.insight_sw Algorithm #2 (sum): 7172 6066 patchSG0001110.insight_sw MD5 checksum: 7D94AE16B413B047640A62386CC545A3 Filename: patchSG0001110.sysmon_books Algorithm #1 (sum -r): 01525 432 patchSG0001110.sysmon_books Algorithm #2 (sum): 49398 432 patchSG0001110.sysmon_books MD5 checksum: 5E2578DB0966A33337BDED1B09943EF9 Filename: patchSG0001110.sysmon_sw Algorithm #1 (sum -r): 56940 103 patchSG0001110.sysmon_sw Algorithm #2 (sum): 32061 103 patchSG0001110.sysmon_sw MD5 checksum: 04518044EAF1507F00473EC10C88CB7E **** IRIX 6.2 **** For the IRIX operating system version 6.2 an inst-able patch has been generated and made available via anonymous FTP and your service/support provider. The patch is number 1417 and will install on IRIX 6.2. The SGI anonymous FTP site is sgigate.sgi.com (204.94.209.1) or its mirror, ftp.sgi.com. Patch 1417 can be found in the following directories on the FTP server: ~ftp/Security or ~ftp/Patches/6.2 ##### Checksums #### The actual patch will be a tar file containing the following files: Filename: README.patch.1417 Algorithm #1 (sum -r): 55229 7 README.patch.1417 Algorithm #2 (sum): 14087 7 README.patch.1417 MD5 checksum: B9D3AF622C2EE231C5BD89E03462C406 Filename: patch1417.pgp.and.chksums Algorithm #1 (sum -r): 13169 1 patch1417.pgp.and.chksums Algorithm #2 (sum): 36412 1 patch1417.pgp.and.chksums MD5 checksum: CBE630E8B05342BBB59C8A67F20CAFF4 Filename: patchSG0001417 Algorithm #1 (sum -r): 03718 1 patchSG0001417 Algorithm #2 (sum): 33504 1 patchSG0001417 MD5 checksum: CD923FF53E0AA47E0098911BB4C05744 Filename: patchSG0001417.idb Algorithm #1 (sum -r): 41936 1 patchSG0001417.idb Algorithm #2 (sum): 39241 1 patchSG0001417.idb MD5 checksum: 7D12AF794CA9AE55C24BE214E6517FE0 Filename: patchSG0001417.insight_sw Algorithm #1 (sum -r): 65383 3084 patchSG0001417.insight_sw Algorithm #2 (sum): 10317 3084 patchSG0001417.insight_sw MD5 checksum: 5CBF3E38119A36E5C5AC1EB1100E195C **** IRIX 6.3 **** The IRIX operating system version 6.3 is not vulnerable to this issue. No further action is required. - ----------------------------------------- - --- SGI Security Information/Contacts --- - ----------------------------------------- If there are questions about this document, email can be sent to cse-security-alert@csd.sgi.com. ------oOo------ Silicon Graphics provides security information and patches for use by the entire SGI community. This information is freely available to any person needing the information and is available via anonymous FTP and the Web. The primary SGI anonymous FTP site for security information and patches is sgigate.sgi.com (204.94.209.1). Security information and patches are located under the directories ~ftp/security and ~ftp/patches, respectively. The Silicon Graphics Security Headquarters Web page is accessible at the URL http://www.sgi.com/Support/Secur/security.html. For issues with the patches on the FTP sites, email can be sent to cse-security-alert@csd.sgi.com. For assistance obtaining or working with security patches, please contact your SGI support provider. ------oOo------ Silicon Graphics provides a free security mailing list service called wiretap and encourages interested parties to self-subscribe to receive (via email) all SGI Security Advisories when they are released. Subscribing to the mailing list can be done via the Web (http://www.sgi.com/Support/Secur/wiretap.html) or by sending email to SGI as outlined below. % mail wiretap-request@sgi.com subscribe wiretap end ^d In the example above, is the email address that you wish the mailing list information sent to. The word end must be on a separate line to indicate the end of the body of the message. The control-d (^d) is used to indicate to the mail program that you are finished composing the mail message. ------oOo------ Silicon Graphics provides a comprehensive customer World Wide Web site. This site is located at http://www.sgi.com/Support/Secur/security.html. ------oOo------ For reporting *NEW* SGI security issues, email can be sent to security-alert@sgi.com or contact your SGI support provider. A support contract is not required for submitting a security report. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBMnf8BLQ4cFApAP75AQEHxwP+JO8CFBrO8LkaC86wb23s80ae0wJGcFem SWQC9686LfiPJEjtTgV+QBtbOhaLXWsVjHfK5WwJ6DiJlnfnCRHb3rOvf1sbxLDm nD7GByyS/giT0KXWXs3GJQMTJTW6jz64ilCbYoSWVleQCU3kxnAEdgCZ0m7R/F8m 4Ca2ojPA0iA= =8HNq -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----