CVE-2009-4833 in MySQLConnector NET
Summary
by MITRE
MySQL Connector/NET before 6.0.4, when using encryption, does not verify SSL certificates during connection, which allows remote attackers to perform a man-in-the-middle attack with a spoofed SSL certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-4833 affects MySQL Connector/NET versions prior to 6.0.4 and represents a critical security flaw in the database connection layer that undermines the integrity of encrypted communications. This issue specifically manifests when the connector is configured to use SSL encryption for database connections, creating a dangerous scenario where the client application fails to validate the server's SSL certificate during the handshake process. The absence of certificate verification creates a fundamental security gap that exposes applications to sophisticated man-in-the-middle attacks.
The technical flaw stems from the connector's improper implementation of SSL certificate validation mechanisms within its cryptographic handshake routine. When establishing a secure connection to a MySQL database server, the client should verify that the server's SSL certificate is properly signed by a trusted certificate authority and that the certificate matches the server's hostname. However, in affected versions, this verification process is completely bypassed, allowing attackers to present any valid SSL certificate to establish a connection. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295 which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in secure communications, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046 for network service scanning and T1566 for credential access through social engineering attacks that leverage compromised connections.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching across enterprise environments that rely on MySQL database connectivity with encryption enabled. Attackers can exploit this weakness by intercepting database communications and presenting a forged SSL certificate that appears legitimate to the client application. This allows them to establish connections to database servers while remaining undetected, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, data manipulation, or complete database compromise. The vulnerability affects any application using MySQL Connector/NET with encryption enabled, making it particularly dangerous in environments where sensitive data is stored and accessed through database connections.
Organizations should immediately implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary and most effective solution involves upgrading to MySQL Connector/NET version 6.0.4 or later, which includes proper SSL certificate validation. Additionally, administrators should review and enforce strict certificate management policies, ensuring that all database connections use certificates issued by trusted certificate authorities. Network-level protections such as firewall rules that restrict database access to known and trusted hosts can provide additional defense in depth. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing regular security assessments of database connection components. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect unusual connection patterns or certificate mismatches that might indicate an active attack. Given the widespread use of MySQL in enterprise environments, this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper cryptographic implementation and the potential consequences of inadequate certificate validation in database connectivity layers.