CVE-2018-3174 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the MySQL Server component of Oracle MySQL (subcomponent: Client programs). Supported versions that are affected are 5.5.61 and prior, 5.6.41 and prior, 5.7.23 and prior and 8.0.12 and prior. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows high privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where MySQL Server executes to compromise MySQL Server. While the vulnerability is in MySQL Server, attacks may significantly impact additional products. 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 5.3 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-3174 resides within the MySQL Server component of Oracle MySQL, specifically affecting client programs within the broader MySQL ecosystem. This flaw manifests in multiple version ranges including 5.5.61 and earlier, 5.6.41 and earlier, 5.7.23 and earlier, and 8.0.12 and earlier versions, indicating a widespread impact across several major MySQL release streams. The vulnerability's classification as difficult to exploit suggests that while it requires specific conditions to be successfully leveraged, the potential consequences are severe enough to warrant immediate attention. The attack vector requires a high-privileged attacker who already possesses logon credentials to the infrastructure hosting the MySQL Server, making this a targeted threat rather than a broad vulnerability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability lies in its ability to cause complete denial of service conditions through hang or frequently repeatable crashes of the MySQL Server instance. This represents a significant availability impact as defined by the CVSS 3.0 scoring system, with a base score of 5.3 indicating a medium severity threat that specifically targets system availability. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond the immediate MySQL Server component, as successful exploitation can significantly affect additional products within the same ecosystem, creating cascading effects that may compromise broader database infrastructure. The CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H) reveals that this is a locally accessible vulnerability requiring high attack complexity and high privileges, with no user interaction needed and a potentially significant scope impact.
The operational implications of CVE-2018-3174 are particularly concerning for database administrators and security teams responsible for maintaining MySQL Server availability. The ability to cause repeated crashes or hangs can result in extended downtime for database services, potentially affecting applications that depend on MySQL for critical business operations. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-119, which addresses memory safety issues and improper access to memory locations, suggesting that the flaw may involve buffer overflows or memory corruption scenarios that could be triggered through client program interactions. The attack scenario requires an attacker with existing access to the server infrastructure, making this a privilege escalation or lateral movement threat that could be particularly damaging in environments where database servers are not adequately isolated. Organizations should consider this vulnerability in their broader threat modeling efforts, as it could be combined with other attacks to create more sophisticated compromise scenarios.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected MySQL Server versions to the latest available releases, which would address the underlying flaw in client program implementations. Network segmentation and access controls should be reviewed to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to MySQL server infrastructure, reducing the attack surface for this particular vulnerability. Monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of server crashes or hangs that might indicate exploitation attempts, while implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious client program behaviors. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK framework would align with techniques involving privilege escalation and service availability compromise, making it important for security teams to consider this threat in their incident response planning and threat hunting activities. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar flaws in other database components and ensure that the overall database infrastructure maintains adequate security postures.