CVE-2016-0644 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle MySQL 5.5.47 and earlier, 5.6.28 and earlier, and 5.7.10 and earlier allows local users to affect availability via vectors related to DDL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0644 represents a critical weakness in Oracle MySQL database systems that affects multiple version ranges including 5.5.47 and earlier, 5.6.28 and earlier, and 5.7.10 and earlier releases. This issue resides within the database management system's handling of Data Definition Language operations and presents a significant risk to system availability. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, though it clearly involves database schema modification operations that can be exploited by local users to disrupt service availability.
The technical flaw manifests through DDL (Data Definition Language) related vectors that allow local attackers to manipulate database structures in ways that can cause system instability or complete service disruption. DDL operations typically include commands such as create, alter, and drop statements that define and modify database schemas. When these operations are improperly handled or validated, they can create conditions where legitimate database operations fail or cause the entire MySQL service to become unresponsive. This vulnerability specifically targets the local user context, meaning that an attacker must already have access to the system to exploit it, though this access level still presents a serious security concern given the potential for availability disruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service interruption to potentially compromise entire database operations within affected systems. Local users who can execute DDL commands may be able to cause cascading failures that affect database integrity and availability for legitimate users. The attack surface is particularly concerning because DDL operations are fundamental to database management, and when these operations fail or are manipulated maliciously, they can cause database engines to crash, become unresponsive, or require manual intervention to restore normal operations. This type of availability disruption can have cascading effects on applications that depend on the database for their functionality, potentially causing widespread service outages.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-0644 should prioritize immediate patching of affected MySQL versions to the latest available releases that contain the necessary security fixes. Organizations should implement strict access controls and privilege management to limit local user access to database systems, particularly for operations that involve DDL modifications. The principle of least privilege should be enforced where database administrators carefully control who can execute schema modification commands. Additionally, monitoring systems should be deployed to detect unusual DDL activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues in database environments. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which deals with memory safety issues, and may map to ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and denial of service through database manipulation. Organizations should also consider implementing database activity monitoring solutions that can detect and alert on anomalous DDL operations that could indicate exploitation attempts.