CVE-2016-5635 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle MySQL 5.7.13 and earlier allows remote administrators to affect availability via vectors related to Server: Security: Audit.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5635 resides within Oracle MySQL database software versions 5.7.13 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw that specifically targets the server component's security audit functionality. This unspecified weakness creates a potential avenue for remote administrators to disrupt system availability, making it particularly concerning for database environments where high availability and reliability are paramount. The vulnerability's classification under the Server: Security: Audit category indicates that it fundamentally impacts how the MySQL server handles security auditing operations, potentially allowing malicious actors to exploit this weakness to cause service disruption or denial of access to legitimate users.
This security flaw operates within the broader context of database management systems where audit mechanisms are designed to monitor and record security-relevant events. The vulnerability's impact on availability suggests that an attacker with remote administrative privileges could manipulate the audit logging system in ways that compromise the database server's operational integrity. Such manipulation could result in audit logs becoming corrupted, audit processes being terminated unexpectedly, or the entire audit subsystem becoming unresponsive. The fact that this vulnerability affects remote administrators indicates that the attack vector does not require physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from external networks without the need for additional reconnaissance or privilege escalation.
From a technical perspective, the vulnerability likely stems from inadequate input validation or improper error handling within the MySQL server's security audit subsystem. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability description suggests that the exact technical mechanism enabling the availability impact remains undisclosed, which is common in early vulnerability disclosures. This weakness could manifest through buffer overflows, improper resource management, or flawed state handling within the audit logging components. The attack surface expands when considering that audit functionality is often critical for compliance requirements and security monitoring, making the disruption of these features particularly damaging to organizational security postures.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-5635 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the integrity of security monitoring systems that organizations rely upon for compliance and forensic analysis. When audit functionality becomes compromised, organizations lose critical visibility into security events, making it difficult to detect unauthorized access attempts or other malicious activities. This vulnerability aligns with attack patterns documented in the attack tree framework where availability attacks can be combined with other exploitation techniques to create more sophisticated threats. The vulnerability's classification under CWE categories related to security audit mechanisms indicates that it involves fundamental flaws in how security auditing is implemented, potentially affecting the database server's ability to maintain consistent security monitoring capabilities.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through Oracle's security patches and updates, as this vulnerability represents a significant risk to database availability and security monitoring capabilities. The recommended mitigation strategies include applying the latest Oracle MySQL patches, implementing network segmentation to limit administrative access, and conducting thorough security assessments of database environments. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing alternative monitoring solutions that do not rely on the vulnerable audit subsystem while patches are being deployed. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date database software and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of audit and logging mechanisms within database environments, particularly those that handle sensitive data and support critical business operations.