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>>                                                      CERT-NL, 01-Mar-2000 <<
>> All CERT-NL information has been moved to http://cert.surfnet.nl.  Links  <<
>> to CERT-NL information contained in this advisory are therefore outdated. <<
>>                                                                           <<
>> CERT-NL also has stopped the CERT-CC-Mirror service.  Due to this the     <<
>> links to the CERT-CC mirror are obsolete. Visit the CERT-CC site for the  <<
>> complete CERT-CC advisory texts:                     http://www.cert.org  <<
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Security Advisory                                                       CERT-NL
===============================================================================
Author/Source : Egon Verharen                               Index  :    S-99-23
Distribution  : World                                       Page   :          1
Classification: External                                    Version:          1
Subject       : HP Current Directory Vulnerability          Date   :  25-Jul-99
===============================================================================

By courtesy of The U.S. Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory
Capability we received information on a vulnerability in HP-UX revision 10.X:
The current directory is in the root user's PATH after logging in using CDE. 
The root user should not have the current directory in the PATH.

This can potential lead to unauthorized increase in privileges.

CERT-NL recommends applying the patch described below.

==============================================================================
             __________________________________________________________

                       The U.S. Department of Energy
                    Computer Incident Advisory Capability
                           ___  __ __    _     ___
                          /       |     /_\   /
                          \___  __|__  /   \  \___
             __________________________________________________________

                             INFORMATION BULLETIN
                     HP Current Directory Vulnerability
               HP Daily Security Bulletins Digest HPSBUX9907-100

July 22, 1999 23:00 GMT                                           Number J-053
______________________________________________________________________________
PROBLEM:        The current directory is in the root user's PATH after logging
                in using CDE.  The root user should not have the current
                directory in the PATH.
PLATFORM:       HP 9000 series 700/800 at HP-UX revision 10.X.
DAMAGE:         Potential for unauthorized increase in privileges.
SOLUTION:       Modify /usr/dt/bin/Xsession as indicated in the bulletin until
                a patch is available.
______________________________________________________________________________
VULNERABILITY   The risk is Medium because there are several possible ways 
ASSESSMENT:     that a user can get an unauthorized increase in privileges 
                through this PATH problem.  The workaround should be used 
                until a patch is available.
______________________________________________________________________________

[  Start Hewlett-Packard Advisory  ]


Digest Name:  Daily Security Bulletins Digest
    Created:  Tue Jul 20  3:00:02 PDT 1999

Table of Contents:

Document ID      Title
- ---------------  -----------
HPSBUX9907-100   CDE Leaves Current Directory in root PATH

The documents are listed below.
- -
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Document ID:  HPSBUX9907-100
Date Loaded:  19990719
      Title:  CDE Leaves Current Directory in root PATH

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
**REVISED 01** HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY SECURITY BULLETIN: #00100, 07 July 1999
Last Revised: 19 July 1999
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------

The information in the following Security Bulletin should be acted upon
as soon as possible.  Hewlett-Packard Company 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:  The current directory is in the root user's PATH
          after logging in using CDE.

PLATFORM: HP 9000 series 700/800 at HP-UX revision 10.X

DAMAGE:  Increase in privileges..

SOLUTION: Modify /usr/dt/bin/Xsession until a patch is available.

AVAILABILITY:  This advisory will be updated when patches are available.

CHANGE SUMMARY: HTML to text conversion instructions for script added.

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

I.
   A. Background - The PATH environemnt variable is constructed from
      several sources including dtsearchpath and scripts in
      /etc/dt/config/Xsession.d/ and /usr/dt/config/Xsession.d/.
      The resulting PATH contains the string "::" which will be
      interpreted as the current directory.  The root user should
      not have the current directory in the PATH.

   B. Fixing the problem - Since the PATH environment variable can be
      affected by dtsearchpath and several scripts, the recommended
      solution is to clean up the root user's PATH after is has been
      created.

**REVISED 01**
      Note:  This file is in HTML format.  If you are editing
      the text version from a mailing the line below:

          for (i=1; i<=n; i++) {

      must be changed.  Replace the characters between
      the second "i" and the "=n" with the single "less than"
      character (ascii 0x3c).

      The line will then read:

         for (i=1; iX=n; i++) {
         where X stands for the "less than" character.

In /usr/dt/bin/Xsession just before this:

# ###########################################################################
#
#   Startup section.

Add this:

###################### Clean up $PATH for root ##########################
if [ "$USER" = "root" ]
then
  Log "Clean up PATH for root user"
  Log "Old PATH = $PATH"
  PATH=`echo $PATH | awk '
{
 # Remove elements from PATH that are
 #  (a)  "."
 #  (b)  ""
 #  (c)  blank
 #
   gsub (" ",":", $0) # Substitite ":" for each blank
   n = split ($0, path, ":")  # Split into elements with ":" as delimiter
   first = 1  # To suppress leading ":" in new PATH
   for (i=1; i<=n; i++) {
     len = length(path[i])
     dot = index(path[i], ".")
     dot_only = 0
     if ((len == 1) && (dot==1)) {
       dot_only = 1
     }
     # print element if it is not "" and not "."
     if (!(len==0) && !(dot_only==1)) {
       if(first != 1) {
         printf (":") # if not first element, print ":" in front
       }
       printf ("%s",path[i])
       first = 0
     }
  }
}
END { printf ("\n") }'`
Log "New PATH = $PATH"
fi
###################### End - Clean up $PATH for root ####################

   C. To subscribe to automatically receive future NEW HP Security
      Bulletins from the HP Electronic Support Center via electronic
      mail, do the following:

      Use your browser to get to the HP Electronic Support Center page
      at:

        http://us-support.external.hp.com
               (for US, Canada, Asia-Pacific, & Latin-America)
        http://europe-support.external.hp.com     (for Europe)

      Login with your user ID and password (or register for one).
      Remember to save the User ID assigned to you, and your password.
      Once you are in the Main Menu:
      To -subscribe- to future HP Security Bulletins,
        click on "Support Information Digests".
      To -review- bulletins already released from the main Menu,
        click on the "Search Technical Knowledge Database."

      Near the bottom of the next page, click on "Browse the HP
      Security Bulletin Archive".
      Once in the archive there is another link to our current Security
      Patch Matrix.  Updated daily, this matrix categorizes security
      patches by platform/OS release, and by bulletin topic.

      The security patch matrix is also available via anonymous ftp:

      us-ffs.external.hp.com
      ~ftp/export/patches/hp-ux_patch_matrix

   D. 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.
________________________________________________________________________
- -----End of Document ID:HPSBUX9907-100--------------------------------------

[  End Hewlett-Packard Advisory  ]
______________________________________________________________________________

CIAC wishes to acknowledge Hewlett-Packard for the information contained in 
this bulletin.
______________________________________________________________________________


==============================================================================
CERT-NL is the Computer Emergency Response Team for SURFnet customers. SURFnet
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