CVE-2016-0692 in Berkeley DB
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the DataStore component in Oracle Berkeley DB 11.2.5.0.32, 11.2.5.1.29, 11.2.5.2.42, 11.2.5.3.28, 12.1.6.0.35, and 12.1.6.1.26 allows local users to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via unknown vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0682, CVE-2016-0689, CVE-2016-0694, and CVE-2016-3418.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0692 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle Berkeley DB's DataStore component, affecting multiple version branches including 11.2.5.x and 12.1.6.x series. This unspecified vulnerability operates at the core database storage layer, where it can potentially compromise fundamental security properties of the system. The affected versions demonstrate a significant risk to organizations relying on Berkeley DB for critical data storage operations, as the vulnerability exists within the foundational data management infrastructure that handles sensitive information processing and storage.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from an unspecified flaw within the DataStore component's internal mechanisms that govern how data is stored, retrieved, and managed within the database system. While the exact technical implementation details remain undisclosed in the public CVE description, the impact classification indicates that local users can exploit this weakness to compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability simultaneously. This triad of security impacts suggests the vulnerability may involve memory corruption, privilege escalation, or data manipulation mechanisms that allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to stored information, modify database contents, or disrupt system availability through denial-of-service conditions.
From an operational perspective, the vulnerability presents a substantial risk to enterprise environments where Oracle Berkeley DB serves as a primary data storage solution. Local attackers with system-level access can leverage this weakness to perform unauthorized data operations, potentially leading to data breaches, system instability, or complete service disruption. The fact that this vulnerability exists in multiple version branches indicates a widespread exposure across the product line, requiring comprehensive patch management strategies across affected systems. Organizations utilizing these database versions must consider the potential for cascading effects throughout their infrastructure, as database corruption or unauthorized access could impact downstream applications and services that depend on data integrity.
The vulnerability's classification as affecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability aligns with common security framework principles and represents a severe threat vector within the software supply chain. This type of vulnerability often maps to attack patterns found in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under persistence and privilege escalation techniques, where attackers can establish long-term access to database systems. The impact extends beyond immediate data compromise to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks, as database systems often contain sensitive information including user credentials, financial data, and proprietary business information. Organizations should consider implementing additional monitoring and access controls around affected database instances, particularly focusing on local user activity and database connection patterns.
Security practitioners should prioritize patching affected systems as soon as vendor advisories become available, as the unspecified nature of the vulnerability suggests it may be exploitable through multiple attack vectors. The vulnerability's relationship to other CVEs in the same timeframe indicates a pattern of security weaknesses within the Berkeley DB product line, suggesting that organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their database infrastructure. Industry standards such as CWE classification systems would likely categorize this vulnerability under categories related to data integrity or information exposure, emphasizing the need for proper input validation and access control mechanisms. Organizations should also consider implementing database activity monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically tailored to database security incidents.