CVE-2015-4866 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle MySQL Server 5.6.23 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to affect availability via unknown vectors related to Server : InnoDB.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/23/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-4866 represents a critical weakness within Oracle MySQL Server versions 5.6.23 and earlier, specifically impacting the InnoDB storage engine component. This issue falls under the category of availability disruption rather than data confidentiality or integrity compromise, indicating that attackers can potentially cause system unavailability through authenticated access. The unspecified nature of the exact attack vectors makes this vulnerability particularly concerning for security professionals as it requires thorough investigation and monitoring to understand the full scope of potential exploitation methods.
The technical flaw resides within the Server : InnoDB subsystem of MySQL, which is responsible for managing database transactions, row-level locking, and crash recovery mechanisms. InnoDB's complex architecture handles concurrent access to database tables and maintains data integrity through various mechanisms including buffer pools, log files, and transactional processing. When this vulnerability manifests, it can lead to denial of service conditions that affect database availability, potentially causing database connections to fail, transactions to abort, or the entire database server to become unresponsive. The vulnerability's authentication requirement suggests that attackers must first establish valid credentials to exploit this weakness, though this does not necessarily make it less dangerous as authorized users with malicious intent could leverage these credentials.
Operational impact of CVE-2015-4866 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially affect business continuity and data availability. Organizations relying on MySQL databases for critical applications may experience significant downtime when this vulnerability is exploited, particularly in environments where database availability is paramount for business operations. The vulnerability's potential to affect availability makes it particularly dangerous in production environments where database servers handle high volumes of concurrent transactions. System administrators may observe increased error rates, connection timeouts, and potentially complete database service outages that could impact multiple applications depending on the database backend. The timing of such disruptions could be particularly damaging if they occur during peak business hours or critical operational periods.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-4866 should prioritize immediate patching of affected MySQL Server installations to the latest available versions that contain fixes for this vulnerability. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected MySQL versions and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit the potential attack surface, ensuring that only authorized users can access database servers. Additionally, monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of database activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. Database administrators should also implement regular backup procedures and disaster recovery plans to minimize the impact of potential service disruptions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which deals with improper restriction of operations within a limited access scope, and may relate to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for potential exploitation attempts and maintain detailed logging of database access patterns for forensic analysis purposes.