Important: kernel security update

Updated kernel packages that fix two security issues are now available
for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.

The Red Hat Security Response Team has rated this update as having
important security impact. A Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS)
base score, which gives a detailed severity rating, is available from the
CVE link in the References section.

The kernel packages contain the Linux kernel, the core of any Linux
operating system.

This update fixes the following security issues:

* A flaw was found in the way file permission checks for the
"/dev/cpu/[x]/msr" files were performed in restricted root environments
(for example, when using a capability-based security model). A local user
with the ability to write to these files could use this flaw to escalate
their privileges to kernel level, for example, by writing to the
SYSENTER_EIP_MSR register. (CVE-2013-0268, Important)

* A race condition was found in the way the Linux kernel's ptrace
implementation handled PTRACE_SETREGS requests when the debuggee was woken
due to a SIGKILL signal instead of being stopped. A local, unprivileged
user could use this flaw to escalate their privileges. (CVE-2013-0871,
Important)

Users should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain backported
patches to correct these issues. The system must be rebooted for this
update to take effect.

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

This update is available via the Red Hat Network. Details on how to
use the Red Hat Network to apply this update are available at
https://access.redhat.com/knowledge/articles/11258

To install kernel packages manually, use "rpm -ivh [package]". Do not
use "rpm -Uvh" as that will remove the running kernel binaries from
your system. You may use "rpm -e" to remove old kernels after
determining that the new kernel functions properly on your system.

908693 - CVE-2013-0268 kernel: x86/msr: /dev/cpu/*/msr local privilege escalation
911937 - CVE-2013-0871 kernel: race condition with PTRACE_SETREGS

https://www.redhat.com/security/data/cve/CVE-2013-0268.html
https://www.redhat.com/security/data/cve/CVE-2013-0871.html
https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/#important