************************************************************************** Security Bulletin 9719 DISA Defense Communications System July 10, 1997 Published by: DISN Security Coordination Center (SCC@NIC.MIL) 1-(800) 365-3642 DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEM NETWORK SECURITY BULLETIN The DISN SECURITY BULLETIN is distributed by the DISN SCC (Security Coordination Center) under DISA contract as a means of communicating information on network and host security exposures, fixes, and concerns to security and management personnel at DISN facilities. Back issues may be obtained via FTP from NIC.MIL [207.132.116.5] using login= "anonymous" and password="guest". The bulletin pathname is scc/sec-yynn (where "yy" is the year the bulletin is issued and "nn" is a bulletin number, e.g. scc/sec-9705.txt). These are also available at our WWW site, http://nic.mil. ************************************************************************** + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + ! ! ! The following important advisory was issued by the Computer ! ! Emergency Response Team (CERT) and is being relayed unedited ! ! via the Defense Information Systems Agency's Security ! ! Coordination Center distribution system as a means of ! ! providing DISN subscribers with useful security information. ! ! ! + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + ============================================================================= -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- ============================================================================= CERT* Vendor-Initiated Bulletin VB-97.04 July 9, 1997 Topic: Security Vulnerability in chfn executable Source: Hewlett-Packard Company To aid in the wide distribution of essential security information, the CERT Coordination Center is forwarding the following information from Hewlett-Packard Company. Hewlett-Packard contact information is included in the forwarded text below; please contact them if you have any questions or need further information. Note: Hewlett-Packard reminds customers to use the HP Supportline to check the patch matrix for current patch IDs. Because patches are cumulative, IDs change daily. The patch matrix is updated automatically every 24 hours. =======================FORWARDED TEXT STARTS HERE============================ =============================================================================== Document Id: [HPSBUX9701-049] Date Loaded: [01-09-97] Description: Security Vulnerability in chfn executable =============================================================================== - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEWLETT-PACKARD SECURITY BULLETIN: #00049, 09 January 1997 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in the following Security Bulletin should be acted upon as soon as possible. Hewlett Packard 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: Security vulnerability in the chfn executable PLATFORM: HP 9000 Series 700/800s running versions of HP-UX 9.X & 10.X DAMAGE: Vulnerabilities exists allowing local users to gain root privileges. SOLUTION: Apply patch: PHCO_9595 for all platforms with HP-UX releases 9.X PHCO_9596 for all platforms with HP-UX releases 10.00/10.01/10.10 PHCO_9597 for all platforms with HP-UX releases 10.20 AVAILABILITY: All patches are available now. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. A. Background A vulnerability with the chfn command (/usr/bin/chfn) has been discovered. B. Fixing the problem The vulnerability can be eliminated from HP-UX releases 9.X and 10.X by applying the appropriate patch. C. Recommended solution 1. Determine which patch are appropriate for your operating system. 2. Hewlett-Packard's HP-UX patches are available via email and the World Wide Web To obtain a copy of the Hewlett-Packard SupportLine email service user's guide, send the following in the TEXT PORTION OF THE MESSAGE to support@us.external.hp.com (no Subject is required): send guide The users guide explains the HP-UX patch downloading process via email and other services available. World Wide Web service for downloading of patches is available via our URL: (http://us.external.hp.com) 3. Apply the patch to your HP-UX system. 4. Examine /tmp/update.log (9.X), or /var/adm/sw/swinstall.log (10.X), for any relevant WARNING's or ERROR's. D. Impact of the patch The patches for HP-UX releases 9.X and 10.X provide enhancements to the chfn executable to avoid this vulnerability. E. To subscribe to automatically receive future NEW HP Security Bulletins from the HP SupportLine Digest service via electronic mail, do the following: 1) From your Web browser, access the URL: http://us-support.external.hp.com (US,Canada, Asia-Pacific, and Latin-America) http://europe-support.external.hp.com (Europe) 2) On the HP Electronic Support Center main screen, select the hyperlink "Support Information Digests". 3) On the "Welcome to HP's Support Information Digests" screen, under the heading "Register Now", select the appropriate hyperlink "Americas and Asia-Pacific", or "Europe". 4) On the "New User Registration" screen, fill in the fields for the User Information and Password and then select the button labeled "Submit New User". 5) On the "User ID Assigned" screen, select the hyperlink "Support Information Digests". ** Note what your assigned user ID and password are for future reference. 6) You should now be on the "HP Support Information Digests Main" screen. You might want to verify that your email address is correct as displayed on the screen. From this screen, you may also view/subscribe to the digests, including the security bulletins digest. To get a patch matrix of current HP-UX and BLS security patches referenced by either Security Bulletin or Platform/OS, click on following screens in order: Technical Knowledge Database Browse Security Bulletins Security Bulletins Archive HP-UX Security Patch Matrix F. 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. _______________________________________________________________________ ========================FORWARDED TEXT ENDS HERE============================= If you believe that your system has been compromised, contact the CERT Coordination Center or your representative in the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST). See http://www.first.org/team-info/. We strongly urge you to encrypt any sensitive information you send by email. The CERT Coordination Center can support a shared DES key and PGP. Contact the CERT staff for more information. Location of CERT PGP key ftp://info.cert.org/pub/CERT_PGP.key CERT Contact Information - ------------------------ Email cert@cert.org Phone +1 412-268-7090 (24-hour hotline) CERT personnel answer 8:30-5:00 p.m. EST (GMT-5)/EDT(GMT-4), and are on call for emergencies during other hours. Fax +1 412-268-6989 Postal address CERT Coordination Center Software Engineering Institute Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA 15213-3890 USA CERT publications, information about FIRST representatives, and other security-related information are available from http://www.cert.org/ ftp://info.cert.org/pub/ CERT advisories and bulletins are also posted on the USENET newsgroup comp.security.announce To be added to our mailing list for CERT advisories and bulletins, send your email address to cert-advisory-request@cert.org In the subject line, type SUBSCRIBE your-email-address * Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The CERT Coordination Center is part of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). The SEI is sponsored by the U. S. Department of Defense. This file: ftp://info.cert.org/pub/cert_bulletins/VB-97.04.hp -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBM8KyMnVP+x0t4w7BAQEVYQQAvsM5pF38rCTBnxxPwzlfs7ibbFS5W9Xi Laj/T8gcey9OZVR8U0+du+ykDtNNUqfBfkcPnNzhUg1yNBIQcvhrJOoAOGViEe9u VXwubwAQes0EV3+JWb/egYH9PTJXGrG6LPzX2EOD8uQVlEuMECCkqPjNSJixcHQP 44eqjiI4/UE= =A/wC -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- **************************************************************************** * * * The point of contact for NIPRNET security-related incidents is the * * ASSIST: * * * * E-mail address: ASSIST@ASSIST.MIL * * * * Telephone: 1-(800)-357-4231 (24 hours/day) * * * * You may also contact the Security Coordination Center (SCC) at the * * NIC: * * * * E-mail address: SCC@NIC.MIL * * * * Telephone: 1-(800)-365-3642 * * * * NIC Help Desk personnel are available from 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. EST, * * Monday through Friday except on federal holidays. * * * **************************************************************************** PLEASE NOTE: Some users outside of the DOD computing communities may receive DISN Security Bulletins. If you are not part of the DOD community, please contact your agency's incident response team to report incidents. Your agency's team will coordinate with DOD. The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) is a world-wide organization. A list of FIRST member organizations and their constituencies can be obtained by sending email to docserver@first.org with an empty subject line and a message body containing the line: send first-contacts. This document was prepared as an service to the DOD community. Neither the United States Government nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government. The opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.