CVE-2014-7210 in pdns
Summary
by MITRE • 06/27/2025
pdns specific as packaged in Debian in version before 3.3.1-1 creates a too privileged MySQL user. It was discovered that the maintainer scripts of pdns-backend-mysql grant too wide database permissions for the pdns user. Other backends are not affected.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7210 represents a critical privilege escalation issue within the PowerDNS software ecosystem, specifically affecting Debian-packaged versions prior to 3.3.1-1. This flaw manifests in the database backend configuration process where the maintainer scripts for the pdns-backend-mysql component inadvertently create a MySQL user with excessively broad database permissions. The issue stems from improper privilege management during the package installation or upgrade process, creating a security risk that directly impacts the database security posture of systems relying on PowerDNS for DNS services.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the maintainer scripts that execute during package management operations, specifically those responsible for setting up the MySQL database user for PowerDNS. These scripts grant the pdns user permissions that exceed the minimum necessary privileges required for normal DNS service operations. The overly permissive access rights could include capabilities such as database creation, schema modification, or even administrative privileges within the database context, which violates the principle of least privilege fundamental to secure system design. This misconfiguration creates an attack surface where compromised database credentials could lead to broader system compromise or data manipulation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability significantly impacts organizations using PowerDNS with MySQL backend databases, as it provides an avenue for attackers to escalate privileges within the database environment. The flaw affects only the MySQL backend component, meaning other database backends such as PostgreSQL or SQLite remain unaffected. However, for systems utilizing the vulnerable MySQL integration, the consequences can be severe as database administrators may unknowingly grant excessive privileges to the PowerDNS service account. The vulnerability essentially undermines the security controls that should exist between different system components and database access levels, potentially allowing attackers with access to the PowerDNS service to leverage the overly privileged database user for further attacks.
The security implications extend beyond simple privilege escalation, as this vulnerability aligns with several common attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to privilege escalation and credential access. The CWE-250 weakness classification applies directly to this issue, as it represents an improper privilege management scenario where the system grants excessive permissions to an entity. Organizations should implement immediate remediation by upgrading to PowerDNS version 3.3.1-1 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to properly configure database user permissions. Additionally, system administrators should audit existing database user permissions and ensure that the pdns user has only the minimal required privileges for DNS resolution operations. The fix typically involves modifying the maintainer scripts to implement proper privilege scoping and ensuring that database access is restricted to only the necessary operations such as DNS record reading and writing, without administrative or schema modification capabilities.