CVE-2013-3793 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the MySQL Server component in Oracle MySQL 5.5.31 and earlier and 5.6.11 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to affect availability via unknown vectors related to Data Manipulation Language.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3793 resides within the MySQL Server component of Oracle MySQL versions 5.5.31 and earlier, as well as 5.6.11 and earlier. This unspecified weakness falls under the category of data manipulation language related issues that can be exploited by authenticated remote attackers to compromise system availability. The vulnerability represents a significant concern for database administrators and security professionals responsible for maintaining MySQL deployments in production environments. The unspecified nature of the exact vector makes this vulnerability particularly challenging to assess and mitigate without comprehensive analysis of the affected systems.
The technical flaw manifests through data manipulation language operations that can be manipulated by authenticated users to cause availability disruptions. While the specific attack vector remains undisclosed, the classification indicates that the vulnerability operates within the realm of database query processing and manipulation functions. This type of vulnerability typically involves weaknesses in input validation, resource handling, or state management within the MySQL server's data manipulation language processing engine. The fact that it affects both major version lines suggests a fundamental issue within the core database engine architecture rather than a localized bug.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables authenticated remote attackers to potentially disrupt database services and compromise system availability. The ability to affect availability through data manipulation language operations means that attackers could potentially cause denial of service conditions by crafting malicious queries that consume excessive resources or trigger system crashes. The authenticated requirement indicates that attackers must first establish valid credentials, but this does not significantly reduce the threat level given that database access credentials are often compromised through various attack vectors including credential theft, weak password policies, or exploitation of other vulnerabilities in the attack chain. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service and could be leveraged as part of a broader attack strategy targeting database infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-3793 should focus on immediate patching of affected MySQL installations to the latest available versions that contain fixes for this vulnerability. Organizations should implement comprehensive access controls and authentication mechanisms to limit the number of authenticated users with database privileges. Network segmentation and firewall rules can help restrict access to database servers to only necessary systems and users. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues before they can be exploited. Additionally, implementing database activity monitoring and anomaly detection systems can help identify suspicious query patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date database software and following security best practices for database access management. Organizations should also consider implementing database firewalls or query filtering mechanisms to prevent malicious data manipulation language operations from being executed against the database server. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical need for regular security updates and the potential impact that seemingly minor database vulnerabilities can have on overall system availability and security posture.
This vulnerability type relates to CWE-119 which describes weaknesses in memory management and resource handling within database systems. The impact of such vulnerabilities extends beyond simple availability issues to potentially compromise data integrity and confidentiality if attackers can leverage the availability disruption to gain further access or manipulate database contents. Organizations should also consider implementing proper incident response procedures that include database security monitoring and rapid patch deployment capabilities to address similar vulnerabilities when they are disclosed. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patches in non-production environments before deployment to ensure that updates do not introduce compatibility issues with existing database applications and services.