Flaw opens door in Windows, Mac, Linux

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://news.com.com/2100-1001-948777.html?tag=fd_top

By Matthew Broersma 
Special to CNET News.com
August 7, 2002, 10:38 AM PT

Security researchers have warned of a flaw in communications software
that could allow attackers to take over computers running Windows, Mac
OS X and Unix-based operating systems, as well as those with Kerberos
authentication systems.

The problem is widespread because it affects some implementations of
XDR (external data representation) libraries, used by many
applications as a way of sending data from one system process to
another regardless of the system's architecture. The affected
libraries are derived from Sun Microsystems' popular SunRPC remote
procedure call technology.

The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Coordination Center, a
security network based at Carnegie Mellon University, warned on
Tuesday that systems using the affected code should immediately apply
patches or disable the affected services.

A function in Sun's XDR library contains an integer overflow that can
lead to buffer overflows, according to CERT security researchers
Jeffrey Havrilla and Cory Cohen. These buffer overflows can allow an
attacker to crash a system, execute malicious code or steal sensitive
information, Havrilla and Cohen said.

The problem also affects the administration system of Kerberos 5, a
widely used network security tool, which could allow attackers to gain
control of Kerberos Key Distribution Center authentication functions.  
This could allow an attacker to gain false authentication with other
services. Kerberos is included in Windows 2000.

The MIT Kerberos development team issued a warning and patch on its
Web site.

Apple Computer confirmed that its Mac OS X operating system contains
the vulnerability, which has been fixed through a recent security
advisory, available through the software's automatic update mechanism.

Several sellers of Unix and Unix-like operating systems, including Red
Hat, Debian, FreeBSD, Sun and NetBSD, said that their software was
affected by the issue, and issued fixes. HP said it was investigating
the bug's impact.

Microsoft said it is still investigating how Windows is affected by
the problem.

The relevant patches are available from the companies' Web sites, or
through the CERT advisory on its Web site.



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