CVE-2022-21380 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 7.4.34 and prior, 7.5.24 and prior, 7.6.20 and prior and 8.0.27 and prior. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows high privileged attacker with access to the physical communication segment attached to the hardware where the 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:A/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
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-21380 represents a significant security flaw within Oracle MySQL Cluster's implementation, specifically affecting multiple version branches including 7.4.34 and earlier, 7.5.24 and earlier, 7.6.20 and earlier, and 8.0.27 and earlier. This vulnerability resides within the Cluster: General component of the MySQL Cluster architecture and demonstrates characteristics that align with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control mechanisms. The attack vector requires an attacker to possess high privileged access to the physical communication segment connected to the hardware executing the MySQL Cluster, indicating a sophisticated attack scenario that leverages both network proximity and elevated privileges.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls that allow malicious actors with physical network access to compromise the entire MySQL Cluster system. This weakness creates a pathway for attackers to potentially gain complete control over the cluster operations, affecting all three core security principles: confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The CVSS 3.1 scoring of 6.3 indicates a medium severity vulnerability that requires specific conditions to be exploited successfully, including the attacker's ability to access the physical communication segment and the necessity for human interaction from individuals other than the attacker. This human interaction requirement suggests that social engineering or insider threat components may be necessary for exploitation.
From an operational impact perspective, successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to complete takeover of the MySQL Cluster, which represents a catastrophic outcome for organizations relying on this database infrastructure. The compromise affects not only the database itself but potentially the entire data ecosystem that depends on MySQL Cluster for reliable operations. Organizations may face significant data breaches, service interruptions, and potential regulatory compliance violations. The availability impact is particularly severe as cluster takeover could result in complete database service outages, while integrity compromise could lead to unauthorized data modifications and confidentiality breaches affecting sensitive organizational information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize network segmentation and physical security measures to prevent unauthorized access to the communication segments where MySQL Cluster operates. Organizations should implement robust network access controls, utilize secure network protocols, and ensure proper physical security measures around database hardware. The principle of least privilege should be strictly enforced, and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify potential network access vulnerabilities. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized access attempts and maintain up-to-date patch management procedures to address this vulnerability. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of layering security controls and understanding that even high-privileged attackers with physical access can exploit weaknesses in distributed database systems, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1046 for network service scanning and T1566 for social engineering approaches that may facilitate initial access.