GLSA 200705-17: Apache mod_security: Rule bypass

Severity:low
Title:Apache mod_security: Rule bypass
Date:05/17/2007
Bugs: #169778
ID:200705-17

Synopsis

A vulnerability has been discovered in mod_security, allowing a remote attacker to bypass rules.

Background

mod_security is an Apache module designed for enhancing the security of the Apache web server.

Affected packages

Package Vulnerable Unaffected Architecture(s)
www-apache/mod_security < 2.1.1 >= 2.1.1 All supported architectures

Description

Stefan Esser discovered that mod_security processes NULL characters as terminators in POST requests using the application/x-www-form-urlencoded encoding type, while other parsers used in web applications do not.

Impact

A remote attacker could send a specially crafted POST request, possibly bypassing the module ruleset and leading to the execution of arbitrary code in the scope of the web server with the rights of the user running the web server.

Workaround

There is no known workaround at this time.

Resolution

All mod_security users should upgrade to the latest version:

    # emerge --sync
    # emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose ">=www-apache/mod_security-2.1.1"

References

Availability

This GLSA and any updates to it are available for viewing at the Gentoo Security Website: http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200705-17.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.

License

Copyright 2010 Gentoo Foundation, Inc; referenced text belongs to its owner(s). The contents of this document are licensed under the Creative Commons - Attribution / Share Alike license.

Thank you!