CVE-2012-0540 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle MySQL Server 5.1.62 and earlier and 5.5.23 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to affect availability, related to GIS Extension.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/26/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-0540 represents a significant security flaw within Oracle MySQL Server versions 5.1.62 and earlier, as well as 5.5.23 and earlier, specifically impacting the GIS Extension component. This issue affects remote authenticated users who can potentially disrupt system availability through exploitation of the unspecified vulnerability within the spatial data handling capabilities of the database server. The GIS Extension in MySQL provides functionality for storing and manipulating spatial data, including geographic information systems capabilities that are commonly utilized in applications requiring location-based services and mapping functionality.
The technical nature of this vulnerability lies within the handling of spatial data operations within the MySQL server's GIS extension, where improper validation or processing of spatial data inputs can lead to system instability or denial of service conditions. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability suggests that the exact technical flaw remains undisclosed, but it is clearly related to how the system processes spatial data operations that could potentially lead to memory corruption, resource exhaustion, or other conditions that would compromise the availability of the database service. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of availability impact as defined by the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, specifically mapping to CWE-119 which deals with weaknesses that affect memory handling and resource management.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a serious risk to database availability and system stability for organizations utilizing MySQL with GIS capabilities. Remote authenticated attackers who can successfully exploit this vulnerability can potentially cause the MySQL server to become unresponsive or crash entirely, leading to service disruption for applications that depend on spatial data functionality. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service as it could affect business continuity for applications that rely heavily on geographic information systems such as mapping services, location-based applications, and spatial analytics platforms. Organizations using older MySQL versions without proper patching are particularly vulnerable, as the vulnerability affects major release lines that were widely deployed in enterprise environments.
The exploitation of this vulnerability typically requires an authenticated connection to the MySQL server, which reduces the attack surface compared to fully remote exploits but still represents a significant risk within trusted network environments where database access is granted to legitimate users. Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability in their risk assessment frameworks and ensure that all MySQL installations are updated to patched versions. The remediation approach involves applying the appropriate Oracle security patches and updates to the MySQL server installations, along with conducting thorough testing to ensure that the patches do not introduce compatibility issues with existing GIS applications. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities, as recommended by the MITRE ATT&CK framework for database security operations. Additionally, monitoring and logging of spatial data operations should be enhanced to detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, while regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues in the database infrastructure.