(RHSA-2004:053) sysstat security update

Sysstat is a tool for gathering system statistics. Isag is a utility for
graphically displaying these statistics.

A bug was found in the Red Hat sysstat package post and trigger scripts,
which used insecure temporary file names. A local attacker could overwrite
system files using carefully-crafted symbolic links in the /tmp directory.
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has
assigned the name CAN-2004-0107 to this issue.

While fixing this issue, a flaw was discovered in the isag utility, which
also used insecure temporary file names. A local attacker could overwrite
files that the user running isag has write access to using
carefully-crafted symbolic links in the /tmp directory. The Common
Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name
CAN-2004-0108 to this issue.

Other issues addressed in this advisory include:

• iostat -x should return all partitions on the system (up to a maximum of

• sar should handle network device names with more than 8 characters properly

• mpstat should work correctly with more than 7 CPUs as well as generate
  correct statistics when accessing individual CPUs. This issue only
  affected Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1

• The sysstat package was not built with the proper dependencies;
  therefore, it was possible that isag could not be run because the necessary
  tools were not available. Therefore, isag was split off into its own
  subpackage with the required dependencies in place. This issue only
  affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1.

Users of sysstat and isag should upgrade to these updated packages, which
contain patches to correct these issues.

NOTE: In order to use isag on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1, you must
install the sysstat-isag package after upgrading.