CVE-2010-3839 in MySQL
Summary
by MITRE
MySQL 5.1 before 5.1.51 and 5.5 before 5.5.6 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via multiple invocations of a (1) prepared statement or (2) stored procedure that creates a query with nested JOIN statements.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/12/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-3839 represents a critical denial of service flaw affecting MySQL database systems across multiple versions. This issue specifically impacts MySQL 5.1 before 5.1.51 and 5.5 before 5.5.6, where authenticated remote attackers can exploit a design weakness in the query processing engine. The flaw manifests when attackers execute multiple invocations of either prepared statements or stored procedures that contain nested JOIN operations, creating conditions that lead to infinite loop scenarios within the database server.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in how MySQL handles query execution plans for complex nested JOIN structures within prepared statements and stored procedures. When these constructs are repeatedly executed, the database engine enters into an infinite loop during query optimization and execution phases. This occurs because the internal query planner fails to properly terminate certain recursive operations that arise from the specific pattern of nested JOIN processing. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only authenticated access to the database system, making it exploitable by users who already have legitimate credentials but lack administrative privileges.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability can severely disrupt database services and compromise system availability. The infinite loop condition consumes excessive CPU resources and can lead to complete service unavailability for the affected database instance. Organizations running affected MySQL versions face significant risks including potential data loss due to service interruptions, application downtime, and increased system load that may affect other services relying on the database. The vulnerability is especially concerning in production environments where database availability is critical for business operations.
The flaw aligns with CWE-835, which addresses infinite loops in software systems, and represents a classic example of improper resource management in database query processing. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service and T1566.001 for credential access, as it requires valid authentication credentials to exploit. The attack vector is classified as network-based, requiring remote access to the database server with valid user credentials. Organizations should prioritize patching affected systems immediately, as the vulnerability provides a straightforward path to service disruption without requiring advanced exploitation techniques. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to MySQL versions 5.1.51 or 5.5.6, which contain fixes addressing the query processing loop conditions that trigger this behavior.