Moderate: newt security update

Updated newt packages that fix one security issue are now available for Red
Hat Enterprise Linux 3, 4, and 5.

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

Newt is a programming library for color text mode, widget-based user
interfaces. Newt can be used to add stacked windows, entry widgets,
checkboxes, radio buttons, labels, plain text fields, scrollbars, and so
on, to text mode user interfaces.

A heap-based buffer overflow flaw was found in the way newt processes
content that is to be displayed in a text dialog box. A local attacker
could issue a specially-crafted text dialog box display request (direct or
via a custom application), leading to a denial of service (application
crash) or, potentially, arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the
user running the application using the newt library. (CVE-2009-2905)

Users of newt should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain a
backported patch to correct this issue. After installing the updated
packages, all applications using the newt library must be restarted for the
update to take effect.

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

523955 - CVE-2009-2905 newt: heap-overflow in textbox when text reflowing

https://www.redhat.com/security/data/cve/CVE-2009-2905.html
http://www.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/#moderate