CVE-2007-6334 in Ingres
Summary
by MITRE
Ingres 2.5 and 2.6 on Windows, as used in multiple CA products and possibly other products, assigns the privileges and identity of users to be the same as the first user, which allows remote attackers to gain privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/31/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-6334 represents a critical privilege escalation issue affecting Ingres database versions 2.5 and 2.6 on Windows platforms. This flaw manifests within multiple CA products and potentially other software implementations that utilize Ingres as their database backend. The core technical issue stems from how the database management system handles user authentication and privilege assignment mechanisms, creating a fundamental security weakness that can be exploited by remote attackers to elevate their access rights.
The technical flaw operates through a privilege delegation mechanism where the Ingres database server fails to properly isolate user sessions and their associated privileges. When multiple users connect to the database, the system incorrectly assigns the privileges and identity of subsequent users to match those of the first user who established a connection. This creates a scenario where any authenticated user can potentially inherit the elevated privileges of the initial user, effectively bypassing normal access control mechanisms and security boundaries that should separate different user contexts.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on affected CA products and other software utilizing Ingres 2.5 and 2.6. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, perform administrative functions, modify database contents, or escalate their privileges to system-level access. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the database level, potentially allowing attackers to compromise entire database environments and the critical information they contain. The impact extends beyond individual database instances to affect the broader security posture of systems that depend on these products.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with privilege escalation attacks in database systems. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this weakness maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access, specifically targeting the database environment to gain elevated system privileges. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including patching affected Ingres installations, disabling unnecessary database services, implementing network segmentation, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. Additionally, security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of all systems using affected Ingres versions and consider alternative database solutions that properly implement user isolation and privilege management mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities from compromising system security.