CVE-2018-3170 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the MySQL Server component of Oracle MySQL (subcomponent: Server: DDL). Supported versions that are affected are 8.0.12 and prior. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows high privileged attacker with network access via multiple protocols to compromise MySQL Server. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of MySQL Server. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 4.9 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/28/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-3170 resides within the MySQL Server component, specifically within the Server: DDL subcomponent, affecting versions 8.0.12 and earlier. This represents a significant security flaw that operates at the database server level, where the issue manifests during Data Definition Language operations that govern database schema modifications. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers with high privileges and network access can leverage this weakness to compromise the target MySQL server infrastructure.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of certain DDL operations within the MySQL server's processing pipeline. When specific schema modification commands are executed, the server fails to properly validate or manage the associated resources, leading to potential memory corruption or resource exhaustion conditions. This flaw operates through multiple network protocols, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited across different communication channels that MySQL supports. The vulnerability's CVSS score of 4.9 reflects its availability impact, specifically targeting the server's ability to maintain continuous operation.
From an operational perspective, successful exploitation of CVE-2018-3170 results in a complete denial of service condition where the MySQL server becomes unresponsive or experiences frequent crashes. This disruption can severely impact database availability for applications that depend on MySQL services, potentially causing cascading failures in dependent systems. The high privilege requirement suggests that attackers must already have elevated access to the database environment, but this does not mitigate the severity of the impact once achieved. The vulnerability's ability to cause repeated crashes makes it particularly damaging as it can lead to sustained service disruption rather than a single incident.
The attack surface for this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and denial of service tactics, where adversaries can leverage existing database access to cause system-wide availability issues. This weakness can be classified under CWE-121 for buffer overflow conditions or similar memory handling flaws that are common in database server implementations. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected MySQL 8.0.12 installations and implement monitoring for unusual server behavior or crash patterns. Network segmentation and access controls should remain in place to limit potential exploitation paths, while regular security assessments should verify that database configurations do not inadvertently expose unnecessary privileges to network-based attackers.