CVE-2016-0647 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle MySQL 5.5.48 and earlier, 5.6.29 and earlier, and 5.7.11 and earlier allows local users to affect availability via vectors related to FTS.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0647 represents a significant security flaw within Oracle MySQL database systems affecting multiple version ranges including 5.5.48 and earlier, 5.6.29 and earlier, and 5.7.11 and earlier releases. This issue falls under the category of availability impact, meaning that malicious actors could potentially disrupt database operations and render systems inaccessible to legitimate users. The vulnerability specifically relates to the Full-Text Search (FTS) functionality within MySQL, which is commonly used for text-based searching and indexing operations. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability description indicates that the exact technical mechanism enabling the availability disruption has not been fully disclosed in the public CVE database, though it is clearly tied to FTS processing within the database engine.
The technical flaw manifests through vectors connected to Full-Text Search operations, which suggests that attackers could exploit specific patterns or inputs within text search queries to cause system instability or resource exhaustion. This type of vulnerability typically operates by manipulating the database's internal processing mechanisms for text indexing and search operations, potentially leading to memory corruption, infinite loops, or other conditions that prevent normal database operations. The local user access requirement indicates that exploitation would need to occur from within the system or with local system credentials, though this still presents a serious threat vector as it could be leveraged by compromised accounts or privileged attackers with local access.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for database availability and system reliability. When Full-Text Search functionality becomes compromised, database services may experience crashes, hangs, or other forms of unavailability that could affect business operations and data accessibility. Organizations relying on MySQL databases for critical applications could face significant downtime and potential data access issues. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it could potentially lead to complete database unavailability, requiring system restarts and manual intervention to restore normal operations. This type of availability threat directly affects the core database service and can cascade into broader system impacts depending on the application architecture and dependencies.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches and updates that address this vulnerability. The recommended approach involves upgrading to patched versions of MySQL that have resolved the FTS-related issues, ensuring that all systems are updated to versions that have been verified to contain the necessary security fixes. Additionally, implementing monitoring and logging around Full-Text Search operations can help detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and access controls should be reviewed to limit local system access where possible, as the vulnerability requires local user access to exploit. System administrators should also consider disabling unnecessary Full-Text Search functionality if it is not required for business operations, reducing the attack surface. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which deals with improper access to memory locations and ATT&CK technique T1499 which covers network denial of service attacks. Organizations should maintain comprehensive patch management processes and regularly review their database security configurations to prevent similar vulnerabilities from compromising system availability.