CESA-2003:418: kernel security update

Description

Updated kernel packages are now available that fix a security vulnerability which may allow local users to gain root privileges.

The Linux kernel handles the basic functions of the operating system. Paul Starzetz discovered a flaw in bounds checking in mremap() in the Linux kernel versions 2.4.23 and previous which may allow a local attacker to gain root privileges. No exploit is currently available; however, it is believed that this issue is exploitable (although not trivially.) The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2003-0985 to this issue. All users are advised to upgrade to these errata packages, which contain a backported security patch that corrects this issue. CentOS would like to thank Paul Starzetz from ISEC for disclosing this issue as well as Andrea Arcangeli and Solar Designer for working on the patch.