Vulnerability Note VU#327037

Debian CVS "pserver" remote access authentication bypass vulnerability

Overview

Debian Concurrent Versions System (CVS) remote repositories using "pserver" with the cvs-repouid Debian patch are vulnerable to authentication bypass.

I. Description

CVS is a version control and source code maintenance system that is widely used by open-source software development projects.

The "pserver" is one method used to provide remote access to CVS repositories. Debian included a patch/enhancement, referred to as the cvs-repouid patch, to enhance security when using the "pserver" remote access method.

Using the pserver access method in conjunction with the Debian repouid patch, it is possible to bypass the password authentication mechanism and gain access to the repository in question. Debian states in their original security advisory that this vulnerability is Debian specific.

II. Impact

Attackers could obtain unauthorized remote access to a CVS repository and modify its contents.

III. Solution

Apply the patch

Debian reported that the vulnerability has been fixed in the:
stable distribution (woody) version 1.11.1p1debian-10.
unstable distribution (sid) version 1.12.9-11.

For more information see Debian's security advisory available at:
http://www.debian.org/security/2005/dsa-715

Systems Affected

Vendor	Status	Date Updated
Debian	Vulnerable	29-Apr-2005

References

http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/debian-security-announce-2005/msg00097.html
http://www.debian.org/security/2005/dsa-715
http://secunia.com/advisories/15126/
http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/p-195.shtml

Credit

Debian credits Maks Polunin and Alberto Garcia with independently discovering this issue. This vulnerability was reported in Debian advisory DSA-715-1.

This document was written by Robert Mead based on information from Debian.

Other Information

Date Public	04/27/2005
Date First Published	05/05/2005 03:07:49 PM
Date Last Updated	05/11/2005
CERT Advisory
CVE-ID(s)	CAN-2004-1342
NVD-ID(s)	CAN-2004-1342
US-CERT Technical Alerts
Metric	10.55
Document Revision	19

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