CVE-2022-21318 in MySQL Cluster
Summary
by MITRE • 01/19/2022
Vulnerability in the MySQL Cluster product of Oracle MySQL (component: Cluster: General). Supported versions that are affected are 7.6.20 and prior and 8.0.27 and prior. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows high privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where MySQL Cluster executes to compromise MySQL Cluster. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of MySQL Cluster. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 6.3 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/24/2022
CVE-2022-21318 represents a significant vulnerability within Oracle MySQL Cluster that demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control and privilege management in database infrastructure. This vulnerability resides in the Cluster: General component of MySQL Cluster and affects versions 7.6.20 and earlier, as well as 8.0.27 and earlier, indicating a widespread impact across multiple supported release lines. The vulnerability classification as difficult to exploit reflects the requirement for an attacker to already possess legitimate login credentials to the target infrastructure, suggesting that this issue primarily represents an escalation of privileges rather than an initial access vector. The CVSS score of 6.3 indicates a medium severity vulnerability, but the high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts demonstrate the potential for severe operational consequences when successfully exploited.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient privilege validation mechanisms within the MySQL Cluster architecture, allowing a high-privileged attacker who already has access to the system to potentially compromise the entire cluster. This flaw operates under the principle that legitimate users with elevated privileges should not be able to bypass security controls to gain additional access or control over cluster resources. The requirement for human interaction from someone other than the attacker suggests that the exploitation process may involve social engineering or manipulation of legitimate users to perform actions that inadvertently facilitate the attack. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data compromise to potentially result in complete takeover of the MySQL Cluster, which would fundamentally undermine the database infrastructure's integrity and availability.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations that rely on MySQL Cluster for critical database operations, as it could lead to complete system compromise and data loss. The attack requires a pre-existing foothold on the infrastructure, making it less likely to be exploited in isolation but more dangerous when combined with other initial access vulnerabilities. Organizations should consider this vulnerability in their overall security posture assessment, particularly in environments where privileged accounts are frequently used or where there may be insufficient separation of duties. The availability impact of this vulnerability is particularly concerning as cluster takeover could result in complete service disruption for applications dependent on MySQL Cluster functionality. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and could potentially be leveraged through techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and defense evasion tactics.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2022-21318 should focus on immediate patching of affected MySQL Cluster versions to the latest supported releases, which would address the underlying access control implementation flaws. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring for unusual administrative activities and privilege changes within their MySQL Cluster environments. Network segmentation and least privilege principles should be enforced to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments of administrative access controls and user privilege management should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining current software versions and implementing robust access control policies that prevent unauthorized privilege escalation even when legitimate users have elevated system access.