New PHP packages fix vulnerability in mail function

PHP versions up to and including 4.2.2 contain vulnerabilities in the mail()
function allowing local script authors to bypass safe mode restrictions
and possibly allowing remote attackers to insert arbitrary mail headers and
content into the message.

PHP is an HTML-embedded scripting language commonly used with the Apache
HTTP server.

The mail function in PHP 4.x to 4.2.2 may allow local script authors to
bypass safe mode restrictions and modify command line arguments to the
MTA (such as Sendmail) in the fifth argument to mail(), altering MTA
behavior and possibly executing arbitrary local commands.

The mail function in PHP 4.x to 4.2.2 does not filter ASCII control
characters from its arguments, which could allow remote attackers to
modify mail message content, including mail headers, and possibly use
PHP as a "spam proxy."

Script authors should note that all input data should be checked for
unsafe data by any PHP scripts which call functions such as mail().

Note that this PHP errata, as did RHSA-2002:102, enforces memory limits on
the size of the PHP process to prevent a badly generated script from
becoming a possible source for a denial of service attack. The default
process size is 8MB, though you can adjust this as you deem necessary
through the php.ini directive memory_limit. For example, to change the
process memory limit to 4MB, add the following:

memory_limit 4194304

Important Note:

There are special instructions you should follow regarding your
/etc/php.ini configuration file in the "Solution" section below.

Note that the /etc/php.ini configuration file is not replaced or
overwritten. You should carefully review your configuration file and adapt
it to your server or service functions.

Before applying this update, make sure all previously released errata
relevant to your system have been applied.

To update all RPMs for your particular architecture, run:

rpm -Fvh [filenames]

where [filenames] is a list of the RPMs you wish to upgrade. Only those
RPMs which are currently installed will be updated. Those RPMs which are
not installed but included in the list will not be updated. Note that you
can also use wildcards (*.rpm) if your current directory *only* contains
the
desired RPMs.

Please note that this update is also available via Red Hat Network. Many
people find this an easier way to apply updates. To use Red Hat Network,
launch the Red Hat Update Agent with the following command:

up2date

This will start an interactive process that will result in the appropriate
RPMs being upgraded on your system.

https://www.redhat.com/security/data/cve/CVE-2002-0985.html
https://www.redhat.com/security/data/cve/CVE-2002-0986.html
http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=bugtraq&m=103011916928204

mail, PHP, safemode