(RHSA-2011:1088) Moderate: systemtap security update

SystemTap is an instrumentation system for systems running the Linux
kernel. The system allows developers to write scripts to collect data on
the operation of the system.

It was found that SystemTap did not perform proper module path sanity
checking if a user specified a custom path to the uprobes module, used
when performing user-space probing (“staprun -u”). A local user who is a
member of the stapusr group could use this flaw to bypass intended
module-loading restrictions, allowing them to escalate their privileges by
loading an arbitrary, unsigned module. (CVE-2011-2502)

A race condition flaw was found in the way the staprun utility performed
module loading. A local user who is a member of the stapusr group could
use this flaw to modify a signed module while it is being loaded,
allowing them to escalate their privileges. (CVE-2011-2503)

SystemTap users should upgrade to these updated packages, which contain
backported patches to correct these issues.