CVE-2013-3794 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the MySQL Server component in Oracle MySQL 5.5.30 and earlier and 5.6.10 allows remote authenticated users to affect availability via unknown vectors related to Server Partition.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3794 resides within the MySQL Server component of Oracle MySQL versions 5.5.30 and earlier, as well as 5.6.10 and earlier, representing a significant availability risk for database systems. This unspecified flaw specifically relates to server partition functionality and affects remote authenticated users who can leverage this weakness to disrupt system operations. The vulnerability classification indicates a potential denial of service condition that could severely impact database availability and overall system reliability. The affected MySQL versions represent widely deployed database solutions across enterprise environments, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on MySQL for critical data operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from weaknesses within the server partition handling mechanisms of MySQL, where authenticated users can exploit specific conditions to compromise system availability. While the exact technical vectors remain unspecified in the CVE description, the partition-related nature suggests issues with how MySQL processes partitioned tables or manages partition metadata. This type of vulnerability often involves memory corruption, resource exhaustion, or improper validation of partition-related operations that could lead to service disruption. The fact that this affects authenticated users indicates that the exploit requires legitimate login credentials, though the impact remains severe as it can be leveraged to cause availability issues rather than direct data compromise.
Operational impact of CVE-2013-3794 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially affect business continuity and data integrity in enterprise environments. Organizations running affected MySQL versions face risks of unauthorized service disruption where authenticated attackers could cause database servers to become unresponsive or crash entirely. The vulnerability affects availability rather than confidentiality or integrity, meaning that while data remains protected, system operations could be severely compromised. This type of denial of service vulnerability can result in significant downtime costs, especially in mission-critical applications where database availability is paramount. The impact is particularly severe in environments where MySQL serves as a core backend component for web applications, transaction processing systems, or other critical business services.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-3794 should prioritize immediate patching of affected MySQL installations to the latest available versions that contain fixes for the partition-related vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the scope of potential exploitation, ensuring that only authorized users have access to database systems. Monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in partition-related database operations that could indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular vulnerability assessments and security audits should be conducted to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in database configurations. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patches in development environments before deployment to production systems. Organizations should also consider implementing database firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor and block suspicious partition-related activities that could indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which deals with improper restriction of operations within a limited access scope and ATT&CK technique T1499 which covers network denial of service attacks targeting database systems.