Critical: ntp security update

An updated ntp package that fixes two security issues is now available for
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.

This update has been rated as having critical security impact by the Red
Hat Security Response Team.

The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is used to synchronize a computer's time
with a referenced time source.

A buffer overflow flaw was discovered in the ntpd daemon's NTPv4
authentication code. If ntpd was configured to use public key cryptography
for NTP packet authentication, a remote attacker could use this flaw to
send a specially-crafted request packet that could crash ntpd or,
potentially, execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the "ntp" user.
(CVE-2009-1252)

Note: NTP authentication is not enabled by default.

A buffer overflow flaw was found in the ntpq diagnostic command. A
malicious, remote server could send a specially-crafted reply to an ntpq
request that could crash ntpq or, potentially, execute arbitrary code with
the privileges of the user running the ntpq command. (CVE-2009-0159)

All ntp users are advised to upgrade to this updated package, which
contains backported patches to resolve these issues. After installing the
update, the ntpd daemon will be restarted automatically.

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

This update is available via Red Hat Network. Details on how to use
the Red Hat Network to apply this update are available at
http://kbase.redhat.com/faq/docs/DOC-11259

490617 - CVE-2009-0159 ntp: buffer overflow in ntpq
499694 - CVE-2009-1252 ntp: remote arbitrary code execution vulnerability if autokeys is enabled

http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2009-0159
http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2009-1252
http://www.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/#critical