[Bug 530073] Re: sudo emails contain random buffer contents if hostname can't be resolved

[The Gavitron]

Agree w/ comment #5,  this is a security vulnerability, and should be
backported to 10.04LTS.    I found this bug on our systems while doing a
security audit of "those random emails that come in from root."
Thankfully, it's a bug, not a security breach, but this could probably
be used to mask malicious activity if one manages to bork DNS on a
compromised host.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/530073

Title:
  sudo emails contain random buffer contents if hostname can't be
  resolved

Status in sudo:
  Unknown
Status in “sudo” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: sudo

  To reproduce:

  1. instal libnss-extrausers
  2. make sure the hostname cannot be resolved by removing it from /etc/hosts:

  # hostname
  spitzer
  # hostname -f 
  hostname: Unknown host

  Now run

  # sudo -u "$admin_user" /bin/true
  sudo: unable to resolve host spitzer

  This will send a completely garbled error message to the administrator
  that gives no clue of what went wrong and where to look for it:

  To: root at matterhorn.ap.columbia.edu
  From: root at matterhorn.ap.columbia.edu
  Auto-Submitted: auto-generated
  Subject: *** SECURITY information for spitzer ***

  spitzer : Feb 26 06:25:01 : root : /usr/lib/libnss_extrausers.so.2

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