CVE-2010-4628 in MyBB
Summary
by MITRE
member.php in MyBB (aka MyBulletinBoard) before 1.4.12 makes a certain superfluous call to the SQL COUNT function, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (resource consumption) by making requests to member.php that trigger scans of the entire users table.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-4628 affects MyBB versions prior to 1.4.12 and specifically targets the member.php script within the MyBulletinBoard platform. This issue represents a classic example of inefficient database query execution that can be exploited to consume excessive system resources. The flaw manifests when the application makes an unnecessary call to the SQL COUNT function during member.php processing, creating an opportunity for malicious actors to perform resource exhaustion attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a superfluous database operation that triggers a complete scan of the users table. When remote attackers craft specific requests to member.php, they can induce the application to execute inefficient SQL queries that traverse the entire user database rather than utilizing proper indexing or limiting mechanisms. This pattern of execution consumes significant CPU and memory resources, effectively creating a denial of service condition that impacts legitimate users and system performance. The vulnerability falls under CWE-400, which categorizes resource exhaustion issues, and specifically relates to improper resource management in database operations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables attackers to cause sustained denial of service conditions by repeatedly submitting requests that trigger the inefficient database scanning behavior. The resource consumption can escalate to the point where the web server becomes unresponsive or the database connection pool becomes exhausted, preventing legitimate user access to the bulletin board functionality. Attackers can leverage this weakness to disrupt services without requiring authentication or specialized privileges, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible forums that rely on MyBB for community management.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate upgrading to MyBB version 1.4.12 or later, which contains the necessary code modifications to eliminate the superfluous COUNT function call. Additionally, system administrators should implement rate limiting mechanisms to restrict the number of requests that can be made to member.php within a given time period. Database optimization practices should include ensuring proper indexing on user tables and implementing query monitoring to detect similar inefficient operations. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and demonstrates how inefficient database operations can be weaponized to compromise system availability. Organizations should also consider implementing database query execution plans and monitoring tools to identify and prevent similar resource consumption patterns in other applications.