The kernel packages contain the Linux kernel, the core of any Linux operating system.
This update fixes the following security issues:
It was found that the Xen hypervisor implementation as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 did not properly restrict the syscall return addresses in the sysret return path to canonical addresses. An unprivileged user in a 64-bit para-virtualized guest, that is running on a 64-bit host that has an Intel CPU, could use this flaw to crash the host or, potentially, escalate their privileges, allowing them to execute arbitrary code at the hypervisor level. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-201 2-0217 to this issue.
It was found that guests could trigger a bug in earlier AMD CPUs, leading to a CPU hard lockup, when running on the Xen hypervisor implementation. An unprivileged user in a 64-bit para-virtualized guest could use this flaw to crash the host. Warning: After installing this update, hosts that are using an affected AMD CPU (refer to Red Hat Bugzilla bug #824966 for a list) will fail to boot. In order to boot such hosts, the new kernel parameter, allow_unsafe, can be used ("allow_unsafe=on"). This option should only be used with hosts that are running trusted guests, as setting it to "on" reintroduces the flaw (allowing guests to crash the host). The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-201 2-2934 to this issue.
More information about these vulnerabilities can be found in the security advisory issued by Red Hat:
| Product: | Affected Version(s): | Risk Level: | Actions: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avaya Aura® Application Enablement Services | 5.x, 6.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
Avaya Aura® Application Server 5300:
|
2.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
| Avaya Aura® Communication Manager | 5.2.x, 6.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
Avaya Communication Server 1000:
|
6.x, 7.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
| Avaya Aura® Conferencing Standard Edition | 6.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
| Avaya IP Office Application Server | 6.x, 7.x, 8.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
| Avaya IQ | 4.x, 5.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
| Avaya Aura® Messaging | 6.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
| Avaya Aura® Presence Services | 6.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
| Avaya Proactive Contact | 5.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
| Avaya Aura® Session Manager | 1.x, 5.x, 6.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
| Avaya Aura® SIP Enablement Services | 5.2.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
| Avaya Aura® System Manager | 5.x, 6.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
| Avaya Aura® System Platform | 1.x, 6.0.x, 6.2.x | Medium | Upgrade to 6.3 or later. |
| Avaya Aura® Communication Manager Utility Services | 6.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
| Avaya Voice Portal | 5.x | None | See Mitigating Factors table below. |
Recommended Actions for System Products:
Avaya strongly
recommends that customers follow
networking and security best practices by implementing
firewalls, ACLs, physical security or other appropriate
access restrictions. Though Avaya believes such
restrictions should always be in place, risk to Avaya
products and the surrounding network from this potential
vulnerability may be mitigated by ensuring these
practices are implemented until such time as an Avaya provided
product update or the recommended Avaya action is applied.
Further restrictions as deemed necessary based on the
customer's security policies may be required during this
interim period, but customers should not modify the System Product
operating system or application unless the change is approved by Avaya.
Making changes that are not approved may void the Avaya product service
contract.
When determining risk, Avaya takes into account many factors as outlined by Avaya's Security Vulnerability Classification Policy. The following table describes factors that mitigate the risk of specific vulnerabilities for affected Avaya products:
| Vulnerability | Mitigating Factors |
|---|---|
|
CVE-2012-0217 |
The risk is rated None for all products except System Platform
because they do not host Xen hypervisor guests. The risk is rated Medium for System Platform because this vulnerability could allow escalation of privileges. |
|
CVE-2012-2934 |
The risk is rated None for all products as AMD CPU's are not used. |
Avaya software-only products operate on general-purpose operating systems. Occasionally vulnerabilities may be discovered in the underlying operating system or applications that come with the operating system. These vulnerabilities often do not impact the software-only product directly but may threaten the integrity of the underlying platform.
In the case of this advisory Avaya software-only products are not affected by the vulnerability directly but the underlying Linux platform may be. Customers should determine on which Linux operating system the product was installed and then follow that vendor's guidance.
| Product: | Actions: |
|---|---|
| Avaya Aura® Application Enablement Services 4.x/5.x | Depending on the Operating System provided by customers, the affected package may be installed on the underlying Operating System supporting the AES application. |
| CVLAN | Depending on the Operating System provided by customers, the affected package may be installed on the underlying Operating System supporting the CVLAN application. |
| Avaya Aura® Experience Portal | Depending on the Operating System provided by customers, the affected package may be installed on the underlying Operating System supporting the EP application. |
| Avaya Integrated Management Suite (IMS) | Depending on the Operating System provided by customers, the affected package may be installed on the underlying Operating System supporting the IMS application. |
| Avaya Aura® Presence Services | Depending on the Operating System provided by customers, the affected package may be installed on the underlying Operating System supporting the PS application. |
| Avaya Secure Access Link Gateway | Depending on the Operating System provided by customers, the affected package may be installed on the underlying Operating System supporting the SAL Gateway application. |
| Avaya Aura® System Manager 1.0 | Depending on the Operating System provided by customers, the affected package may be installed on the underlying Operating System supporting the SMGR application. |
| Avaya Voice Portal | Depending on the Operating System provided by customers, the affected package may be installed on the underlying Operating System supporting the VP application. |
Recommended Actions for Software-Only Products:
In the
event that the affected package is installed, Avaya recommends that
customers follow recommended actions supplied by Red Hat regarding their
Enterprise Linux.
Additional information may also be available via the Avaya support website and through your Avaya account representative. Please contact your Avaya product support representative, or dial 1-800-242-2121, with any questions.
ALL INFORMATION IS BELIEVED TO BE CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATION AND IS PROVIDED "AS IS". AVAYA INC., ON BEHALF ITSELF AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES (HEREINAFTER COLLECTIVELY REFERRED TO AS "AVAYA"), DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FURTHERMORE, AVAYA MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES THAT THE STEPS RECOMMENDED WILL ELIMINATE SECURITY OR VIRUS THREATS TO CUSTOMERS' SYSTEMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL AVAYA BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE INFORMATION OR RECOMMENDED ACTIONS PROVIDED HEREIN, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, STATUTORY, CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF AVAYA HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE DOES NOT AFFECT THE SUPPORT AGREEMENTS IN PLACE FOR AVAYA PRODUCTS. SUPPORT FOR AVAYA PRODUCTS CONTINUES TO BE EXECUTED AS PER EXISTING AGREEMENTS WITH AVAYA.
V 1.0 - July 19, 2012 - Initial Statement issued.
V 2.0 - July 9, 2013 - Updated SP actions and set advisory status to final.
V 3.0 - July 10, 2013 - Clarifed mitigating factors.
Send information regarding any discovered security problems with Avaya products to either the contact noted in the product's documentation or securityalerts@avaya.com.
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