CVE-2016-0610 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle MySQL 5.6.27 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to affect availability via unknown vectors related to InnoDB.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/05/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0610 represents a critical weakness in Oracle MySQL database systems affecting versions 5.6.27 and earlier. This issue resides within the InnoDB storage engine component, which serves as the default storage engine for MySQL and handles transactional database operations. The vulnerability specifically impacts the availability aspect of the database system, making it a significant concern for enterprise environments where database uptime and reliability are paramount. The unspecified nature of the exact vector makes this vulnerability particularly challenging to assess and defend against, as security professionals cannot immediately determine the precise conditions under which the availability impact occurs.
The technical flaw manifests within the InnoDB storage engine's handling of certain database operations that can lead to system instability and potential denial of service conditions. InnoDB's architecture includes sophisticated transaction management, row-level locking, and crash recovery mechanisms that are essential for maintaining data integrity and system performance. When this vulnerability is exploited, it can cause the database server to become unresponsive, requiring manual intervention to restore normal operations. The vulnerability's impact on availability stems from potential resource exhaustion, thread starvation, or internal state corruption within the InnoDB engine that prevents legitimate database operations from completing successfully.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents substantial risk to organizations relying on MySQL databases for critical business operations. The remote authenticated nature of the exploit means that attackers who have legitimate database access credentials can potentially disrupt services without requiring additional privileges or physical access to the system. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where database administrators maintain multiple user accounts with varying levels of access. The availability impact can result in significant business disruption, including service outages, data access delays, and potential financial losses. Organizations may experience cascading effects as dependent applications and services fail due to database unavailability, making this vulnerability particularly costly to remediate.
Security professionals should prioritize patching affected systems immediately, as Oracle released updates addressing this vulnerability in subsequent MySQL versions. The mitigation strategy should include implementing network segmentation to limit database access to authorized users only, monitoring database logs for unusual activity patterns, and maintaining robust backup and recovery procedures. Organizations should also consider implementing database activity monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous behavior patterns associated with potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which addresses memory corruption issues, and may relate to ATT&CK technique T1499 which covers service stoppage and system shutdown methods. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues within the database infrastructure.