(RHSA-2009:1453) Moderate: pidgin security update

Pidgin is an instant messaging program which can log in to multiple
accounts on multiple instant messaging networks simultaneously. Info/Query
(IQ) is an Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) specific
request-response mechanism.

A NULL pointer dereference flaw was found in the way the Pidgin XMPP
protocol plug-in processes IQ error responses when trying to fetch a custom
smiley. A remote client could send a specially-crafted IQ error response
that would crash Pidgin. (CVE-2009-3085)

A NULL pointer dereference flaw was found in the way the Pidgin IRC
protocol plug-in handles IRC topics. A malicious IRC server could send a
specially-crafted IRC TOPIC message, which once received by Pidgin, would
lead to a denial of service (Pidgin crash). (CVE-2009-2703)

It was discovered that, when connecting to certain, very old Jabber servers
via XMPP, Pidgin may ignore the “Require SSL/TLS” setting. In these
situations, a non-encrypted connection is established rather than the
connection failing, causing the user to believe they are using an encrypted
connection when they are not, leading to sensitive information disclosure
(session sniffing). (CVE-2009-3026)

A NULL pointer dereference flaw was found in the way the Pidgin MSN
protocol plug-in handles improper MSNSLP invitations. A remote attacker
could send a specially-crafted MSNSLP invitation request, which once
accepted by a valid Pidgin user, would lead to a denial of service (Pidgin
crash). (CVE-2009-3083)

These packages upgrade Pidgin to version 2.6.2. Refer to the Pidgin release
notes for a full list of changes: http://developer.pidgin.im/wiki/ChangeLog

All Pidgin users should upgrade to these updated packages, which correct
these issues. Pidgin must be restarted for this update to take effect.