CVE-2015-0505 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle MySQL Server 5.5.42 and earlier, and 5.6.23 and earlier, allows remote authenticated users to affect availability via vectors related to DDL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-0505 represents a significant security flaw within Oracle MySQL Server versions 5.5.42 and earlier, as well as 5.6.23 and earlier. This issue affects the database management system's handling of Data Definition Language operations, creating potential risks for system availability and operational integrity. The vulnerability specifically targets authenticated users who can leverage DDL-related vectors to compromise the availability of MySQL server instances, making it particularly concerning for database administrators and security professionals responsible for maintaining database infrastructure reliability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and error handling within MySQL's DDL processing mechanisms. When authenticated users execute specific DDL operations, the server fails to properly validate or sanitize the input parameters, potentially leading to unexpected behavior that can result in service disruption or complete unavailability of the database server. This flaw operates at the core of MySQL's database schema management capabilities, where DDL statements such as create, alter, and drop operations are processed. The vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious DDL commands that can trigger memory corruption, resource exhaustion, or other conditions that lead to denial of service scenarios.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a serious threat to database availability and business continuity. Attackers with valid authentication credentials can exploit this weakness to cause database server crashes, restarts, or other availability issues that directly impact application services dependent on MySQL. The authenticated nature of the attack means that the threat comes from within the organization's trusted user base, making detection and prevention more challenging. Organizations may experience service interruptions, data access delays, and potential loss of productivity as database systems become unavailable or unstable. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can potentially allow attackers to maintain persistent access to compromised systems through repeated exploitation attempts.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including applying Oracle's official security patches and updates to bring affected MySQL installations up to supported versions. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the number of authenticated users with DDL privileges. Monitoring and logging of DDL operations should be enhanced to detect anomalous patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-122 which addresses buffer overflow conditions in database systems, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1489 which covers service stoppage and denial of service attacks. Additionally, this issue demonstrates the importance of principle of least privilege in database security, where users should only be granted the minimum necessary permissions to perform their required functions. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in database infrastructure components.