CVE-2012-5096 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Server component in Oracle MySQL 5.5.28 and earlier allows remote authenticated users with Server Privileges to affect availability via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-5096 represents a critical weakness within Oracle MySQL Server component that affects versions 5.5.28 and earlier. This security flaw exists within the server infrastructure and specifically targets authenticated users who possess server privileges, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrative access is granted to multiple users. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains partially obscured, though the impact on system availability is clearly defined.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the MySQL Server's handling of privileged operations that allow authenticated users with server privileges to potentially disrupt service availability. While the precise vector remains unspecified, such vulnerabilities typically exploit weaknesses in input validation, resource management, or process handling within the server component. The fact that this affects authenticated users with server privileges suggests the flaw may be related to privilege escalation, resource exhaustion, or denial of service mechanisms within the server's operational framework. This aligns with common attack patterns where legitimate administrative users can be leveraged to compromise system availability.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for MySQL deployments where server privileges are distributed among multiple users. The ability of authenticated users with server privileges to affect availability means that malicious actors or compromised accounts could potentially cause system downtime, service disruption, or complete unavailability of database services. This impacts business continuity and can result in substantial financial losses, data accessibility issues, and reputation damage. The vulnerability's potential for causing availability disruption makes it particularly concerning in production environments where database uptime is critical.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the relevant Oracle security patches and updates that address this vulnerability. The remediation process should involve comprehensive testing of patched environments before deployment to ensure compatibility with existing applications and services. Additionally, implementing strict access controls and privilege management policies can help limit the potential impact by reducing the number of users with server privileges. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-119 which addresses weaknesses in memory handling, and may relate to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and denial of service operations. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues within the MySQL infrastructure and prevent exploitation of related weaknesses in the database server component.