CVE-2016-0655 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle MySQL 5.6.29 and earlier and 5.7.11 and earlier allows local users to affect availability via vectors related to InnoDB.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0655 represents a significant security flaw within Oracle MySQL database systems that affects multiple version ranges including MySQL 5.6.29 and earlier, as well as 5.7.11 and earlier releases. This issue specifically targets the InnoDB storage engine which serves as the default storage engine for MySQL databases and is responsible for handling transactional operations and data integrity. The vulnerability manifests as an unspecified weakness that can be exploited by local users to compromise system availability, making it particularly concerning for database environments where uptime and reliability are critical. The fact that this affects local users indicates that the vulnerability does not require network exposure to be exploited, potentially making it more accessible to attackers who have already gained system-level access or who are attempting to escalate privileges within a compromised environment.
The technical nature of this vulnerability lies within the InnoDB storage engine implementation, which is designed to provide advanced features such as row-level locking, foreign key constraints, and transactional support. When a local attacker exploits this vulnerability, they can potentially cause the MySQL service to become unavailable or crash, leading to denial of service conditions that can severely impact database operations and business continuity. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability description suggests that the exact technical mechanism behind the flaw was not fully detailed in the initial disclosure, though it is clearly related to how InnoDB handles certain operations or data structures. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of availability attacks that can disrupt normal database operations and may require system restarts or manual intervention to restore service.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses substantial risk to organizations relying on MySQL databases, particularly those that depend on continuous availability for business operations. Local users who can exploit this vulnerability may cause database downtime that could result in lost productivity, financial losses, and potential data integrity issues if transactions are interrupted during critical operations. The attack vector being local access means that the vulnerability can be exploited by users who already have access to the system, making it particularly dangerous in environments where privileged accounts are compromised or where insider threats exist. Organizations may experience cascading effects from this vulnerability as database unavailability can impact dependent applications and services that rely on MySQL for data persistence and transactional processing.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-0655 should prioritize immediate patching of affected MySQL installations to the latest available versions that contain fixes for this vulnerability. System administrators should ensure that all MySQL instances are updated to versions that address the InnoDB-related issues, typically through official Oracle security patches or through distribution-specific updates. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict access controls to limit local user privileges, monitoring system logs for unusual activity that might indicate exploitation attempts, and maintaining regular backups to ensure rapid recovery in case of service disruption. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and privilege separation to reduce the attack surface and limit the potential impact of local privilege escalation. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and denial of service, and may be categorized under CWE types related to insufficient error handling or resource management issues within database systems. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining instances of vulnerable MySQL installations within the organization's infrastructure.