CVE-2022-21304 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE • 01/19/2022
Vulnerability in the MySQL Server product of Oracle MySQL (component: Server: Parser). Supported versions that are affected are 5.7.36 and prior and 8.0.27 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 3.1 Base Score 4.9 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/17/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-21304 represents a critical availability risk within Oracle MySQL Server's parser component, affecting versions 5.7.36 and earlier as well as 8.0.27 and prior. This flaw resides in the server's query parsing functionality, which processes incoming database commands and statements from network clients. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers with high privileges and network access can leverage this weakness to disrupt MySQL server operations. The attack vector specifically requires network connectivity through multiple protocols, suggesting that the vulnerability can be targeted across various communication channels that MySQL supports including TCP/IP connections, Unix domain sockets, and named pipes. The CVSS score of 4.9 reflects the moderate to high severity impact on system availability, with the attack complexity being low and the privilege requirements being high, indicating that only authenticated users with elevated permissions can exploit this weakness.
The technical nature of this vulnerability manifests as a potential for complete denial of service through either hanging or repeatedly crashing the MySQL server process. This occurs during the parsing phase when the server encounters specific malformed or crafted input that triggers unexpected behavior in the parser module. The parser component is responsible for analyzing and validating SQL statements before execution, and when it encounters malformed input, it can fail in ways that cause system instability or complete termination of the server process. This parsing failure can be triggered through carefully constructed SQL queries or protocol-level inputs that exploit memory management issues or control flow problems within the parser implementation. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple service interruption as it can cause repeated crashes that make the database server unreliable for legitimate users and applications that depend on database connectivity.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to database availability and business continuity for organizations relying on MySQL Server installations. The ability to cause complete system downtime through a parser-based vulnerability means that database services can be rendered completely inaccessible to authorized users and applications. The high privilege requirement suggests that this vulnerability is most dangerous in environments where attackers have already gained administrative access or where privilege escalation has occurred. The impact on availability is particularly concerning because MySQL servers often serve as critical backend components for web applications, transaction processing systems, and enterprise applications that require continuous database access. Organizations may experience service disruptions that affect customer-facing applications, data processing workflows, and automated business processes that depend on database availability.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Oracle that address this parser vulnerability in their MySQL installations. System administrators should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the attack surface, particularly by restricting network access to MySQL servers from trusted sources only. Monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in database connection attempts or query processing that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which covers stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and could potentially map to ATT&CK techniques related to service stoppage and system shutdown operations. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar parsing vulnerabilities in other database components and ensure that the overall database infrastructure maintains adequate security postures against both known and emerging threats.