Opera: buffer overflows in 7.11 and 7.20 — GLSA 200311-02

Buffer overflows exist in Opera 7.11 and 7.20 that can cause Opera to crash, and can potentially overwrite arbitrary bytes on the heap leading to a system compromise.

Affected packages

Package 	www-client/opera on all architectures
Affected versions 	= 7.20
= 7.11
Unaffected versions 	>= 7.21

Background

Opera is a multi-platform web browser.

Description

The Opera browser can cause a buffer allocated on the heap to overflow under certain HREFs when rendering HTML. The mail system is also deemed vulnerable and an attacker can send an email containing a malformed HREF, or plant the malicious HREF on a web site.

Impact

Certain HREFs can cause a buffer allocated on the heap to overflow when rendering HTML which can allow arbitrary bytes on the heap to be overwritten which can result in a system compromise.

Workaround

There is no known workaround at this time.

Resolution

Users are encouraged to perform an 'emerge sync' and upgrade the package to the latest available version. Opera 7.22 is recommended as Opera 7.21 is vulnerable to other security flaws. Specific steps to upgrade:

 # emerge sync
 # emerge -pv '>=www-client/opera-7.22'
 # emerge '>=www-client/opera-7.22'
 # emerge clean

References

    CAN-2003-0870
    @stake Security Advisory