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    Oracle releases critical updates

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    Oracle has released the latest quarterly round of critical patches for all its products.


    Among the applications being updated are the Oracle database 9i
    through 11g, Oracle Application Server, Oracle PeopleSoft
    Enterprise CRM, and the Oracle WebLogic Server (formerly BEA
    WebLogic Server).


    Among the vulnerabilities being fixed are:



    1. A library path vulnerability in the Oracle database:
      This flaw allows Oracle users to execute code with root
      privileges by overriding the root program that sets user rights,
      according to security research firm iDefense. The vulnerability,
      which resides on Unix and Linux platforms, has been assigned the
      number in the CVE-2008-2613
      in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures vulnerability
      database.

    2. A buffer overflow vulnerability in the Oracle database:
      This flaw allows users to execute code with database
      user privileges, according to iDefense. A queuing routine does not
      validate input, allowing an attacker to enter a long string of code
      that will overflow the buffer and place potentially damaging
      commands into memory. CVE-2008-2607.

    3. An input validation vulnerability in the Oracle Internet
      Directory      : This flaw can enable a denial-of-service attack and
      bring down the directory by sending a flood of bogus Lightweight
      Directory Access Control packets to the program, according to
      iDefense. CVE-2008-2595.


    Oracle releases critical patches in bundles on a quarterly basis.
    "They are released on the Tuesday closest to the 15th day of
    January, April, July and October," according to a pageexplaining the release schedule.

    Typically, Oracle announces security fixes only when fixes are
    available for all the different platforms and versions. For most of
    Oracle's chief products, such as the Oracle Database Server and the
    Oracle Application Server, the patches are cumulative, meaning they contain all the fixes from
    previous critical patch updates. Patches for other products are
    provided on a one-off basis, meaning older patches will need to be
    applied independently.


    This quarterly patch cycle is the first to assign CVE
    Identifiers (CVE-IDs) to vulnerabilities, according toMitre, which oversees CVE management.



    About the Author

    Joab Jackson is the senior technology editor for Government Computer News.

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