CVE-2014-2430 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle MySQL Server 5.5.36 and earlier and 5.6.16 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to affect availability via unknown vectors related to Performance Schema.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-2430 represents a significant security flaw within Oracle MySQL Server affecting versions 5.5.36 and earlier, as well as 5.6.16 and earlier. This issue resides within the Performance Schema component of the database system, which is designed to provide performance monitoring and diagnostics capabilities for database operations. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability vectors indicates that the exact technical mechanism through which the attack occurs has not been fully disclosed, though it is classified as a remote attack vector that requires authentication. The Performance Schema functionality is critical for database administrators to monitor system performance and identify bottlenecks, making this vulnerability particularly concerning as it could be exploited to disrupt database availability.
The technical flaw specifically targets the Performance Schema subsystem within MySQL, which collects and maintains detailed performance data about database operations, connections, and resource usage. This component operates continuously in the background and maintains various data structures to track performance metrics. The vulnerability allows authenticated remote attackers to manipulate or corrupt these performance monitoring components in ways that could lead to denial of service conditions. The attack requires an authenticated user account with appropriate privileges to access the Performance Schema functionality, which means that attackers would need to have valid credentials or have already compromised an account within the database environment. The impact on availability stems from the fact that the Performance Schema is deeply integrated into the database's operational framework, and disruptions to this component can cascade into broader system instability.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a serious risk to database availability and system stability. When exploited, the vulnerability could cause the MySQL server to crash, become unresponsive, or exhibit abnormal behavior that prevents legitimate users from accessing database services. The Performance Schema component is typically enabled by default in MySQL installations, making this vulnerability potentially exploitable in many production environments. Database administrators would face challenges in identifying and mitigating this vulnerability since the specific attack vectors are not publicly disclosed, requiring careful monitoring of system behavior and potentially implementing defensive measures based on general security practices. The authenticated nature of the attack means that internal threats or compromised accounts pose a particular risk, as attackers with legitimate access could leverage this vulnerability to disrupt services without requiring additional unauthorized access.
Security mitigations for CVE-2014-2430 should focus on immediate patching of affected MySQL versions to the latest available releases that contain fixes for this vulnerability. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the scope of potential exploitation, particularly by restricting access to Performance Schema functionality to only essential administrative accounts. Monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in database performance monitoring data that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which deals with improper access to memory locations, and potentially CWE-134 which addresses format string vulnerabilities, though the exact technical mechanism remains unspecified. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be categorized under T1489 which covers denial of service attacks, and potentially T1068 which addresses local privilege escalation, depending on how the exploit is executed within the system. Organizations should also consider implementing comprehensive database security monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous behavior in performance schema data that might indicate exploitation attempts, and maintain regular vulnerability assessments to identify and remediate similar issues in other database components.