GLSA 200408-14: acroread: UUDecode filename buffer overflow

http://security.gentoo.org/

Severity:	normal
Title:	acroread: UUDecode filename buffer overflow
Date:	08/15/2004
Bugs:	#60205
ID:	200408-14

Synopsis

acroread contains two errors in the handling of UUEncoded filenames that may lead to execution of arbitrary code or programs.

Background

acroread is Adobe's Acrobat PDF reader for Linux.

Affected packages

Package	Vulnerable	Unaffected	Architecture(s)
app-text/acroread	<= 5.08	>= 5.09	All supported architectures

Description

acroread contains two errors in the handling of UUEncoded filenames. First, it fails to check the length of a filename before copying it into a fixed size buffer and, secondly, it fails to check for the backtick shell metacharacter in the filename before executing a command with a shell.

Impact

By enticing a user to open a PDF with a specially crafted filename, an attacker could execute arbitrary code or programs with the permissions of the user running acroread.

Workaround

There is no known workaround at this time. All users are encouraged to upgrade to the latest available version of acroread.

Resolution

All acroread users should upgrade to the latest version:

    # emerge sync
    
    # emerge -pv ">=app-text/acroread-5.09"
    # emerge ">=app-text/acroread-5.09"

References

Availability

This GLSA and any updates to it are available for viewing at the Gentoo Security Website: http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200408-14.xml

Concerns?

Security is a primary focus of Gentoo Linux and ensuring the confidentiality and security of our users machines is of utmost importance to us. Any security concerns should be addressed to security@gentoo.org or alternatively, you may file a bug at https://bugs.gentoo.org.