Security Update 2005-006 Released

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif

Now available via Software Update:

Security Update 2005-006 delivers a number of security enhancements and is recommended for all Macintosh users. This update includes the following components:

AFP Server
Bluetooth
CoreGraphics
Folder Permissions
launchd
LaunchServices
NFS
PHP
VPN

For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n61798

[AoWolf]

Keep them coming apple. (not that we need them ;-) ) I wonder just how long OS X will last virus free...

[mkrishnan]

Originally Posted by AoWolf

Keep them coming apple. (not that we need them ;-) ) I wonder just how long OS X will last virus free...

Until someone installs it on a Dell!

(And that was just a pot shot, please no sixteen replies from newbies telling me how having MacOS pirated onto a Dell is totally unrelated to virus propagation! )

[Doctor Q]

AFP Server

Impact: A buffer overflow in support for legacy clients could permit the running of arbitrary code.

Description: The Mac OS X AFP Server supports a number of legacy clients. A buffer overflow in support for one of these clients could permit arbitrary code to run. This update modifies the AFP Server to correct this buffer overflow. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X 10.4.

AFP Server

Impact: On an AFP Server that uses an ACL-enabled volume for storage, copying a file with POSIX-only permissions can leave an ACL attached.

Description: When copying a local file to an AFP Server that is using an ACL-enabled volume for storage, a temporary ACL is attached to the remote object during the copy process. This ACL can be left behind if the file copy went into a directory that was not using ACLs. The ACL that is left behind could cause confusion, as it will override the POSIX file permissions for the file owner. The ACL does not permit other users to access the file. This update modifies the AFP Server so that it correctly removes the ACL that is used for copying the file. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X 10.4.

Bluetooth

Impact: Directory traversal via Bluetooth object exchange

Description: Due to insufficient input checking, the Bluetooth object exchange services could be used to access files outside of the default file exchange directory. This update provides an additional security improvement over the previous release by adding enhanced filtering for path-delimiting characters. Credit to kf_lists[at]digitalmunition[dot]com for reporting this issue.

CoreGraphics

Impact: Applications that use either PDFKit or CoreGraphics to render poorly-formed PDF documents could abort due to a NULL pointer dereference.

Description: If a poorly-formed PDF document is passed to PDFKit or CoreGraphics for rendering, the rending engine will detect an error and stop processing. As part of the cleanup process, a check for a NULL pointer is omitted. This omission can cause an application that handles PDF documents to abort, requiring that the application be restarted. CoreGraphics is updated to correctly handle the cleanup of poorly-formed PDF documents. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X 10.4. Credit to Chris Evans for reporting this issue.

CoreGraphics

Impact: Console users can gain root privileges.

Description: The CoreGraphics Window Server is updated to disallow unprivileged users from launching commands into root sessions. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4.

Folder Permissions

Impact: Potential file race condition via world- and group-writable permissions on two directories.

Description: Secure folder permissions are applied to protect the system's cache folder and Dashboard system widgets. This exposure does not exist in systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4. Credit to Michael Haller at info@cilly.com for reporting this issue.

launchd

Impact: The setuid program launchd can allow local privilege escalation.

Description: A vulnerability in launchd allows local users to gain ownership of arbitrary files. The launchd command is updated to safely change ownership of files. Credit to Neil Archibald of Suresec LTD for reporting this issue. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4.

LaunchServices

Impact: File extensions and mime types marked as unsafe but not mapped to an Apple UTI could bypass download safety checks.

Description: Mac OS X 10.4 contains a database of known unsafe file extensions and mime types. If an addition to the unsafe types database was made without a corresponding Apple UTI (Uniform Type Identifier), then a query on certain forms of the file extension or mime type would not be marked as unsafe. All entries in the current unsafe type database are mapped to an Apple UTI. This update corrects the query code to correctly identify unsafe file extensions and mime types regardless of the presence of an Apple UTI. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X 10.4.

MCX Client

Impact: Portable Home Directory credentials may be available to local system users.

Description: MCX Client is updated to not log portable home directory mounting credentials. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4.

NFS

Impact: An NFS export that's restricted using -network and -mask flags will export to "everyone."

Description: The use of -network and -mask on a filesystem listed in the NFS exports file would result in that filesystem being exported to "everyone." This update modifies the NFS exporting code to correctly set the network and mask parameters. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X 10.4.

PHP

Impact: Multiple vulnerabilities in PHP, including remote denial of service and execution of arbitrary code.

Description: PHP is updated to version 4.3.11 to address several issues. The PHP release announcement for version 4.3.11 is located at http://www.php.net/release_4_3_11.php.

VPN

Impact: A local user can obtain root privileges if the system is being used as a VPN server.

Description: A buffer overflow in "vpnd" could be used by a local user to obtain root privileges if the system is configured as a VPN server. This issue does not occur on systems that are configured as a VPN client. This issue cannot be exploited remotely. This update prevents the buffer overflow from occurring. This issue was fixed for Mac OS X v10.3.9 via Security Update 2005-005. Credit to Pieter de Boer of the master SNB at the Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) for reporting this issue.

[brandona788]

Does this mean I have to reboot???

[iMeowbot]

I updated and rebooted about an hour ago, and everything seems to run fine, but what are the green blob in the dock that says "Start" and the "My Computer" desktop icon for?

[MattG]

Originally Posted by brandona788

Does this mean I have to reboot???

Actually...no! At least there's no "reboot" symbol next to the update as I'm looking at it. I'll probably reboot anyway though.

EDIT: Eh...I take it back. No reboot for my Panther machine, but there is a reboot for Tiger.

[brandona788]

There was a reboot required for me. Well, its up and ready to go in <1 min. I love this thing!! (I switched about a week and a half ago.)

[Doctor Q]

Originally Posted by MattG

Actually...no! At least there's no "reboot" symbol next to the update as I'm looking at it. I'll probably reboot anyway though.

Software update insists "Restart will be required" for me (on Tiger 10.4.1).

[CubaTBird]

yeah i had to reboot as well.. though widgets took longer than normal to refresh after that reboot.. hrm...

[shambolic]

Originally Posted by Doctor Q

launchd

Impact: The setuid program launchd can allow local privilege escalation.

Description: A vulnerability in launchd allows local users to gain ownership of arbitrary files. The launchd command is updated to safely change ownership of files. Credit to Neil Archibald of Suresec LTD for reporting this issue. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4.

I wonder if they've taken this opportunity to sneak in a bugfix for the issue with launchd failing to run scheduled jobs more than once (making it useless as a cron replacement, one of its intended uses). Probably not, but I can hope... *loads Software Update, clicks on Install*

[ruud]

Originally Posted by Doctor Q

AFP Server
Impact: A buffer overflow in support for legacy clients could permit the running of arbitrary code.
Description: The Mac OS X AFP Server supports a number of legacy clients. A buffer overflow in support for one of these clients could permit arbitrary code to run.

This should put an end to the "the switch to x86 will bring us buffer overflows" argument.

[quackattack]

Is this the part where everyone starts bitching about their uptime?

[Stella]

Originally Posted by iMeowbot

I updated and rebooted about an hour ago, and everything seems to run fine, but what are the green blob in the dock that says "Start" and the "My Computer" desktop icon for?

ROTFL.

Hope 10.4.2 is out soon for functionality improvements.

[gorkonapple]

Originally Posted by AoWolf

Keep them coming apple. (not that we need them ;-) ) I wonder just how long OS X will last virus free...

Mac OS X is not now, nor has ever been virus free....there's just been a bunch of pointless virii that do nto work in a UNIX environment.

[Doctor Q]

Originally Posted by CubaTBird

yeah i had to reboot as well.. though widgets took longer than normal to refresh after that reboot.. hrm...

That's actually a good sign. That means that something happens when the O.S. changes, or perhaps each time it is booted, that optimizations or caching later make unnecessary. So your widgets are faster each time other than the first.

[Peace]

Originally Posted by Doctor Q

That's actually a good sign. That means that something happens when the O.S. changes, or perhaps each time it is booted, that optimizations or caching later make unnecessary. So your widgets are faster each time other than the first.

I ran the disk utility after rebooting and got this :
We are using special permissions for the file or directory ./Library/Widgets. New permissions are 16877

[CubaTBird]

Originally Posted by Peace

I ran the disk utility after rebooting and got this :
We are using special permissions for the file or directory ./Library/Widgets. New permissions are 16877

yeah i got the same thing..

[iSaint]

Originally Posted by brandona788

Does this mean I have to reboot???

yes, after 29 days 19 hours up...rats!

[UberMac]

Originally Posted by iMeowbot

I updated and rebooted about an hour ago, and everything seems to run fine, but what are the green blob in the dock that says "Start" and the "My Computer" desktop icon for?

Lol - thank you! *Giggle giggle*! You have officially made my day (thats how bad my day was...full of exams and all grrr)

Back on topic...update seems fine, haven't noticed any changes. I'm still running Panther (OLDSKOOL!) but doesn't seem to have had a negative effect...except the "the green blob in the dock that says "Start" and the "My Computer" desktop icon"

[Noiseboy]

Originally Posted by gorkonapple

Mac OS X is not now, nor has ever been virus free....there's just been a bunch of pointless virii that do nto work in a UNIX environment.

Ergo they are not OS X virii and OS X remains virus free.

[Freg3000]

Originally Posted by ruud

This should put an end to the "the switch to x86 will bring us buffer overflows" argument.

I thought exactly the same thing.

For me running 10.4.1, and update was required.

[daveL]

Originally Posted by ruud

This should put an end to the "the switch to x86 will bring us buffer overflows" argument.

It's not that you can't have buffer overflows on non-x86 processors, it's what you can do to exploit the buffer overflow. On x86 CPUs (except the newest ones), you can run code in the data (rather than text/code) segment. You can't do that on a PPC. So, it's much easier to do damage with a buffer overflow on x86, compared to PPC.

[wdlove]

I will probably do the Security Update on Saturday. It's after System Optimizer X runs that I do a reboot on Sunday.

[Dagless]

Originally Posted by iMeowbot

I updated and rebooted about an hour ago, and everything seems to run fine, but what are the green blob in the dock that says "Start" and the "My Computer" desktop icon for?

hah! you just made my life