xaos - improper setuid-root execution

XaoS, a program for displaying fractal images, is installed setuid
root on certain architectures in order to use svgalib, which requires
access to the video hardware. However, it is not designed for secure
setuid execution, and can be exploited to gain root privileges.

In these updated packages, the setuid bit has been removed from the
xaos binary. Users who require the svgalib functionality should grant
these privileges only to a trusted group.

This vulnerability is exploitable in version 3.0-18 (potato) on i386
and alpha architectures, and in version 3.0-23 (woody) on the i386
architecture only.

For the stable distribution (woody) this problem has been fixed in
version 3.0-23woody1.

For the old stable distribution (potato) this problem has been fixed
in version 3.0-18potato1.

For the unstable distribution (sid) this problem has been fixed in
version 3.1r-4.

We recommend that you update your xaos package.