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Re: kern/34873 (sendmsg() can cause kernel panic)

Subject: Re: kern/34873 sendmsg() can cause kernel panic
From: Elad Efrat
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 01:37:11 +0200
Christian Biere wrote:

> Is this really a security issue? In a way it certainly is. However, others 
> like
> FreeBSD - and OpenBSD I think too - handle these kind of bugs merely as 
> "errata".
> In other words, they don't consider local denial of service attacks - which 
> are
> even unavoidable on a bug-free system anyway - not worth a security advisory.
> At least, that's how I understand "handling this as security issue".

This is NetBSD.

> Correct me if I'm wrong, but in this case, the panic occurs only if DIAGNOSTIC
> is enabled which is not the case in any GENERIC kernels.

Irrelevant.

> For example, I have reported similar issues in the past. On the one hand, some
> of these have (rather recently) be considered worthy formal security
> advisories. On the other hand, very similar issues were handled like normal
> bugs. Further, I have an open PR in the same domain which causes a local DoS 
> as
> well and/or a panic. I'd think publishing an advisory whilst one of these is
> still open is even less useful.

I caught that just because I was looking at recent PRs. If you have any
PRs you've opened in the past, assign them to yourself and take a look
at them.

As for what justifies an advisory or not... ask security-officer.

-e.

-- 
Elad Efrat

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