Home Blog Page 8725

PHP 4.1.1 released

Author: JT Smith

_NoDDingDog writes: “Due to a few bugs in PHP 4.1.0, we decided to release PHP 4.1.1. The bugs that were fixed are not major ones but minor ones, which could be annoying if you get bitten by them. Our recommendation is that people who already upgraded to PHP 4.1.0 do not need to upgrade to PHP 4.1.1 unless they’re experiencing one of the described bugs. Read the full release announcement. Windows binaries will be available later. PHP.net.”

Web review: Linuxsucks.com sucks

Author: JT Smith

by Tina Gasperson

I thought maybe whoever registered linuxsucks.com was just joking. Or maybe the site was a plant, bought and paid for by Linux PR professionals to make Windows users look bad.Face it, it would be possible to come up with a halfway decent hate site aimed at Linux. There has to be at least a handful of people who weren’t resourceful enough to stick with Linux, but who possess enough journalistic and design/layout talent to set up a professional looking Web site.

Maybe it wasn’t worth it to those people. Anyway, it appears that the site is not a joke or a plant, but an effort by one Kevin Gough to impugn the integrity of our favorite OS. As you may have guessed, I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. Mr. Gough is also the purveyor of KG Computer Services, which is “a software development house with over 20 years of experience.” We don’t know what he started developing on, and the KG Computer Services Web site doesn’t provide any information — just a bunch of Hypermart pop-up ad banners, but we have a feeling it’s Windows all the way now.

Which is fine, but what is the point of linuxsucks.com? It calls itself the place where frustrated and former users sound off. But the site doesn’t do much of anything other than list gobs of posts that seem to be a collection of drivel from the dregs of both camps. There’s also a few loaded statements on the front page, like “ASP.NET will crush Linux once and for all. It will blow Unix/Linux away as a web server platform,” and “Windows XP: You’ll want it even more after trying Linux.” It’s classic troll, but it’s not backed up by facts or even a sane argument.

There’s even a link that’s labeled “Mr. T thinks Linux sucks too!” It’s one of those stupid sites that takes your html and changes the dialect.

Even more befuddling is the linuxsucks.com store. I was hoping to see some T-shirts, ball caps and coffee mugs emblazoned with the linuxsucks.com logo. Instead, I found a Harry Potter boxed set, Madonna CDs, baby cribs???! At least keep it on topic, for crying out loud!

More acceptable would be a site that offered “frustrated users” true alternatives and solutions to their problems, and also was a bit more honest about the shortcomings of Windows and other Microsoft products. I guess that would be a bit ridiculous to expect from a site called linuxsucks.com (note: turn off javascript in your browser or you’ll be redirected to another site), though.

However, to back up my claim that linuxsucks.com looks like a joke, take a look at the anti-Windows counterpart to this site, windows-sucks.com. It’s well organized, looks like a professional did it, and the webmaster can put together a coherent paragraph. Not only that, but it lists dozens of alternatives to Windows for people who are looking, and REAL, on topic merchandise — and even free email forwarding for those of you who want @windows-sucks.com instead of whatever it is you use now.

Category:

  • Migration

Debian: ‘gpm’ security update

Author: JT Smith

Debian: “The package ‘gpm’ contains the ‘gpm-root’ program, which can be used to create mouse-activated menus on the console. Among other problems, the gpm-root program contains a format string vulnerability, which allows an attacker to gain root privileges”

From:	 Robert van der Meulen <rvdm@debian.org>
To:	 debian-security-announce@lists.debian.org
Subject: [SECURITY] [DSA-095-1] gpm (gpm-root) format string vulnerabilities
Date:	 Thu, 27 Dec 2001 21:22:10 +0100

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Debian Security Advisory DSA-095-1                   security@debian.org
http://www.debian.org/security/ Robert van der Meulen
December 27, 2001
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Package        : gpm
Problem type   : local root vulnerability
Debian-specific: no

The package 'gpm' contains the 'gpm-root' program, which can be used to
create mouse-activated menus on the console.
Among other problems, the gpm-root program contains a format string
vulnerability, which allows an attacker to gain root privileges.

This has been fixed in version 1.17.8-18.1, and we recommend that you upgrade
your 1.17.8-18 package immediately.

wget url
        will fetch the file for you
dpkg -i file.deb
        will install the referenced file.


Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 alias potato
- ---------------------------------

  Potato was released for alpha, arm, i386, m68k, powerpc and sparc.

  Source archives:
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/source/gpm_1.17.8-18.1.diff.gz
MD5 checksum: 8c48aa1656391d3755c289a87db13bf0
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/source/gpm_1.17.8-18.1.dsc
MD5 checksum: bafbe8ffe73d3b5783e9841f1894af77
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/source/gpm_1.17.8.orig.tar.gz
MD5 checksum: 9d50c299bf925996546efaf32de1db7b

  Alpha architecture:
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-alpha/gpm_1.17.8-18.1_alpha.deb
MD5 checksum: 0e50705cadfd58777d02fa6806c10bdf
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-alpha/libgpmg1-dev_1.17.8-18.1_alpha.deb
MD5 checksum: cbeeeac3795318255126814d71b7b945
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-alpha/libgpmg1_1.17.8-18.1_alpha.deb
MD5 checksum: f5dd9e395259b037d20e013e112a55e8

  ARM architecture:
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-arm/gpm_1.17.8-18.1_arm.deb
MD5 checksum: 6b41896ddfed4a119d17e5d8e8391384
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-arm/libgpmg1-dev_1.17.8-18.1_arm.deb
MD5 checksum: f02444fc5a9a6a7c7da0e1cb19df24a6
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-arm/libgpmg1_1.17.8-18.1_arm.deb
MD5 checksum: 0ae3eb96377394d65e0e8031d0019147

  Intel IA-32 architecture:
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-i386/gpm_1.17.8-18.1_i386.deb
MD5 checksum: 18c837abec8360db146681d2a713177a
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-i386/libgpm1-altdev_1.17.8-18.1_i386.deb
MD5 checksum: f60aa2b9720ee597f18fa3fa86a8af6e
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-i386/libgpm1_1.17.8-18.1_i386.deb
MD5 checksum: 815a1e90fe36e603f0803f92b6898f19
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-i386/libgpmg1-dev_1.17.8-18.1_i386.deb
MD5 checksum: 514a1baee569e548349f7c4dc2941f3d
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-i386/libgpmg1_1.17.8-18.1_i386.deb
MD5 checksum: 52014c36f8155a0c89e9ade02d91cdbe

  Motorola 680x0 architecture:
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-m68k/gpm_1.17.8-18.1_m68k.deb
MD5 checksum: ce61772d26c799bce33d729ed7fc67b7
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-m68k/libgpm1-altdev_1.17.8-18.1_m68k.deb
MD5 checksum: 923894ee7bdc1a8e648881eaf5f372da
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-m68k/libgpm1_1.17.8-18.1_m68k.deb
MD5 checksum: 019de1ecb144e3d10b5978ea640a24c4
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-m68k/libgpmg1-dev_1.17.8-18.1_m68k.deb
MD5 checksum: 88d75f4b1f85e6aee903f886b311e127
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-m68k/libgpmg1_1.17.8-18.1_m68k.deb
MD5 checksum: 1ea940b2e3c5d7fade43d75ed3253569

  PowerPC architecture:
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-powerpc/gpm_1.17.8-18.1_powerpc.deb
MD5 checksum: aa2415e6f489af235e173d6d5a69b05f
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-powerpc/libgpmg1-dev_1.17.8-18.1_powerpc.deb
MD5 checksum: cd823ce39eb4125ed4a8dd0c17362107
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-powerpc/libgpmg1_1.17.8-18.1_powerpc.deb
MD5 checksum: 0188cb6c4ffd82a146812e53c1387918

  Sun Sparc architecture:
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-sparc/gpm_1.17.8-18.1_sparc.deb
MD5 checksum: b703c2e30b52446508f18951551839a3
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-sparc/libgpmg1-dev_1.17.8-18.1_sparc.deb
MD5 checksum: b8a75b6ab45f649b9e458cf778545a9e
    http://security.debian.org/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-sparc/libgpmg1_1.17.8-18.1_sparc.deb
MD5 checksum: fa4ae1bda04f3b13622d6e6bc9ffcb35
  These packages will be moved into the stable distribution on its next
  revision.

For not yet released architectures please refer to the appropriate
directory ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/sid/binary-$arch/ .
- -- 
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
apt-get: deb http://security.debian.org/ stable/updates main
dpkg-ftp: ftp://security.debian.org/debian-security dists/stable/updates/main
Mailing list: debian-security-announce@lists.debian.org
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org

iD8DBQE8K4LkFLJHZigagQ4RAqikAKC7ogsUzIlAreE5/Mki78uqCnvPpgCgqdRl
t+b1OntlAE3rvVNBC/0vej8=
=ByVf
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----


-- 
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-security-announce-request@lists.debian.org
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org

Category:

  • Linux

SEUL/edu – Linux in education report for December

Author: JT Smith

SEUL: It looks like the launch of Schoolforge is right on schedule. Taking aim at the education sector, this open source initiative is set to advocate Open Source software for the educational arena. You can read the newsletter here.

Category:

  • Open Source

Linux in 2002: More security, high-end computing

Author: JT Smith

CNN: “It was a big year for Linux in 2001, from IBM’s $1 billion commitment to the introduction of the latest feature-laden kernel updates.” Read more in this CNN article.

Category:

  • Linux

Linux 2.5.2-pre3

Author: JT Smith

Kernel.org: Looks like there was still a little bit of work to be done before 2.5.2.http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.5/testing/patch-2.5.2-pre3.gz

pre3:
 - Christoph Hellwig: scsi_register_module cleanup
 - Mikael Pettersson: apic.c LVTERR fixes
 - Russell King: ARM update (including bio update for icside)
 - Jens Axboe: more bio updates
 - Al Viro: make ready to switch bread away from kdev_t..
 - Davide Libenzi: scheduler cleanups
 - Anders Gustafsson: LVM fixes for bio
 - Richard Gooch: devfs update

pre2:
 - Al Viro: task-private namespaces, more cleanups

pre1:
 - me: revert the "kill(-1..)" change.  POSIX isn't that clear on the
   issue anyway, and the new behaviour breaks things.
 - Jens Axboe: more bio updates
 - Al Viro: rd_load cleanups. hpfs mount fix, mount cleanups
 - Ingo Molnar: more raid updates
 - Jakub Jelinek: fix Linux/x86 confusion about arg passing of "save_v86_state" and "do_signal"
 - Trond Myklebust: fix NFS client race conditions

Category:

  • Linux

Linux 2.5.1-dj6

Author: JT Smith

Dave Jones: “-ENOMORETURKEY, so here goes with more resyncing, more backlogged fixes,

and some pending experimental bits that should end up Linuswards soon.

This is a fairly big merge, so it may take another release or two to

shake out any merge errors.”


Patch against 2.5.1 vanilla is available from:



http://www.codemonkey.org.uk/patches/2.5/patch-2.5.1-dj6.diff.bz2

Some of the fixes still haven't found their way back to Marcelo yet

but should show up in 2.4.18pre1 with any luck.



Enjoy,

  -- Davej.



2.5.1-dj6

o   Merge 2.5.2pre2

    | Includes updated for 2.5 SCSI debug driver.       (Douglas Gilbert)

o   Merge 2.4.18pre1

o   Missing include in sunrpc sched.c                   (David S. Miller)

o   Remove incorrect devinit's from bttv & USB.         (Andrew Morton)

o   Remove redundant EISA_bus__is_a_macro macro.        (Me)

o   Split visws support to setup-visws.c                (Me)

    | Can someone with one of these beasts test this, and maybe

    | even *gulp* maintain it ?

o   pc110pad spinlock thinko                            (Peter T. Breuer)

o   Fix reiserfs + highmem possible oops.               (Oleg Drokin)

o   Fix reiserfs fsx breakage.                          (Oleg Drokin)

o   Make IPV6 accept timestamps in response to SYNs.    (Alexey Kuznetsov)

o   NCR5380_timer_fn needs to be static.                (Rasmus Andersen)

o   CONFIG_SERIAL_ACPI is IA64 only.                    (Me)





Category:

  • Linux

EnGarde: ‘stunnel’ format string vulnerability

Author: JT Smith

En Garde: “There is a format string vulnerability in stunnel which may allow an attacker to exploit a victim by impersonating a mail server.”



+------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| EnGarde Secure Linux Security Advisory               December 27, 2001 |

|  http://www.engardelinux.org/ ESA-20011227-01 |

|                                                                        |

| Package:  stunnel                                                      |

| Summary:  There is a format string vulnerability in stunnel.           |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------+



  EnGarde Secure Linux is a secure distribution of Linux that features

  improved access control, host and network intrusion detection, Web

  based secure remote management, complete e-commerce using AllCommerce,

  and integrated open source security tools.





OVERVIEW

--------

  There is a format string vulnerability in stunnel which may allow an

  attacker to exploit a victim by impersonating a mail server.





DETAIL

------

  There are a couple of instances in stunnel where a format is not passed

  to a printf-like function, leading to your classic format string

  vulnerability.  It is not know weather or not it is exploitable at this

  time but all users are recommended to upgrade in any event.



  This vulnerability was disclosed on December 18 by Matthias Lange on

  the stunnel-users mailing list.  The original message may be found here:



     http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=stunnel-users&m=100868569203440&w=3



All users should upgrade to the most recent version, as outlined in





SOLUTION

--------

  All users should upgrade to the most recent version as outlined in

  this advisory.  All updates may be found at:



     ftp://ftp.engardelinux.org/pub/engarde/stable/updates/http://ftp.engardelinux.org/pub/engarde/stable/updates/



Before upgrading the package, the machine must either:



    a) be booted into a "standard" kernel; or

    b) have LIDS disabled.



  To disable LIDS, execute the command:



    # /sbin/lidsadm -S -- -LIDS_GLOBAL



  To install the updated package, execute the command:



    # rpm -Uvh 



You must now update the LIDS configuration by executing the command:



    # /usr/sbin/config_lids.pl



  To re-enable LIDS (if it was disabled), execute the command:



    # /sbin/lidsadm -S -- +LIDS_GLOBAL



  To verify the signatures of the updated packages, execute the command:



    # rpm -Kv 





UPDATED PACKAGES

----------------

  These updated packages are for EnGarde Secure Linux 1.0.1 (Finestra).



  Source Packages:



    SRPMS/stunnel-3.22-1.0.4.src.rpm

      MD5 Sum:  e408662d6fc54f3979642c9e8c110ba4



  Binary Packages:



    i386/stunnel-3.22-1.0.4.i386.rpm

      MD5 Sum:  482ff9210541d73b114404ccb9732cf0



    i686/stunnel-3.22-1.0.4.i686.rpm

      MD5 Sum:  afad91053b8d482e36e85251fab06755





REFERENCES

----------



  Guardian Digital's public key:

     http://ftp.engardelinux.org/pub/engarde/ENGARDE-GPG-KEY



Credit for the discovery of this bug goes to:

    Matthias Lange ml@netuse.de>



stunnel's Official Web Site:

     http://stunnel.mirt.net/



Security Contact:    security@guardiandigital.com

EnGarde Advisories:   http://www.engardelinux.org/advisories.html



--------------------------------------------------------------------------

$Id: ESA-2001122701-stunnel,v 1.2 2001/12/27 16:02:00 rwm Exp $

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author: Ryan W. Maple, ryan@guardiandigital.com>

Copyright 2001, Guardian Digital, Inc.

ActiveState’s ASPN Tcl – comprehensive programming tools & resources

Author: JT Smith

PR Newswire: ActiveState today announced the release of ASPN Tcl. “ASPN Tcl includes licenses for TclPro, a toolkit for rapid development of Tcl applications; and Komodo, ActiveState’s cross-platform, multi-language IDE, with special TclPro integration.” Read more in this press release.

Linux kernel 2.5.1-dj5

Author: JT Smith

Posted at LWN.net: “Patch against 2.5.1 vanilla is available from:
http://www.codemonkey.org.uk/patches/2.5/patch-2.5.1-dj5.diff.bz2

Some of these fixes still haven’t found their way back to Marcelo yet
but should show up in 2.4.17-rc3 / 2.4.18pre1 with any luck.”

Category:

  • Linux