4.121. nss
Updated nss packages that fix one security issue are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, 5, and 6.
The Red Hat Security Response Team has rated this update as having important security impact.
Network Security Services (NSS) is a set of libraries designed to support the development of security-enabled client and server applications.
Security Fix
- BZ#751366
- It was found that the Malaysia-based Digicert Sdn. Bhd. subordinate Certificate Authority (CA) issued HTTPS certificates with weak keys. This update renders any HTTPS certificates signed by that CA as untrusted. This covers all uses of the certificates, including SSL, S/MIME, and code signing.
Note
Digicert Sdn. Bhd. is not the same company as found at digicert.com.Note
This fix only applies to applications using the NSS Builtin Object Token. It does not render the certificates untrusted for applications that use the NSS library, but do not use the NSS Builtin Object Token.
This update also fixes the following bug on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5:
Bug Fix
- BZ#743508
- When using mod_nss with the Apache HTTP Server, a bug in NSS on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 resulted in file descriptors leaking each time the Apache HTTP Server was restarted with the "service httpd reload" command. This could have prevented the Apache HTTP Server from functioning properly if all available file descriptors were consumed.
For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, these updated packages upgrade NSS to version 3.12.10. As well, they upgrade NSPR (Netscape Portable Runtime) to version 4.8.8 and nss-util to version 3.12.10 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, as required by the NSS update. (BZ#735972, BZ#736272, BZ#735973)
All NSS users should upgrade to these updated packages, which correct this issue. After installing the update, applications using NSS must be restarted for the changes to take effect. In addition, on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, applications using NSPR and nss-util must also be restarted.
Updated nss and nspr packages that fix one security issue are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, 5, and 6.
The Red Hat Security Response Team has rated this update as having important security impact.
Network Security Services (NSS) is a set of libraries designed to support the cross-platform development of security-enabled client and server applications.
Netscape Portable Runtime (NSPR) provides platform independence for non-GUI operating system facilities.
Security Fix
- BZ#734316
- It was found that a Certificate Authority (CA) issued fraudulent HTTPS certificates. This update renders any HTTPS certificates signed by that CA as untrusted. This covers all uses of the certificates, including SSL, S/MIME, and code signing.
Note
This fix only applies to applications using the NSS Builtin Object Token. It does not render the certificates untrusted for applications that use the NSS library, but do not use the NSS Builtin Object Token.
These updated packages upgrade NSS to version 3.12.10 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and 5. As well, they upgrade NSPR to version 4.8.8 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and 5, as required by the NSS update. The packages for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 include a backported patch.
All NSS and NSPR users should upgrade to these updated packages, which correct this issue. After installing the update, applications using NSS and NSPR must be restarted for the changes to take effect.
Updated nss and nspr packages that fix three bugs and add one enhancement are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
The Network Security Services (NSS) libraries support the cross-platform development of security-enabled clients and server applications, the Netscape Portable Runtime (NSPR) provides platform independence for non-GUI operating system facilities.
Bug Fixes
- BZ#348761
- Prior to this update, the selinux policy for mod_nss did not allow for correct handling of access vector caches (AVC). As a consequence, AVC could fail when running NSS. This update modifies the selinux policy so that AVC is handled as expected.
- BZ#704595
- Prior to this update, the crmf library used a maximum length of 2048 bits for wrapped private keys. As a consequence, private keys exceeding the maximum lengths failed. With this update, the maximum key length is now identical with the the maximum modulus length.
- BZ#713373
- Prior to this update, certain file descriptors were not closed. As a consequence, a file descriptor leak resulted upon continued reloading of the httpd service. This update modifies the underlying code and the descriptors are now correctly closed.
All NSS and NSPR users are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which fix these bugs and add this enhancement.
