CVE-2023-22033 in MySQL Server
Summary
by MITRE • 07/19/2023
Vulnerability in the MySQL Server product of Oracle MySQL (component: InnoDB). Supported versions that are affected are 8.0.33 and prior. Difficult to exploit 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 4.4 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/08/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-22033 represents a significant availability risk within Oracle MySQL Server's InnoDB storage engine component. This flaw affects MySQL Server versions 8.0.33 and earlier, making it a critical concern for organizations maintaining legacy database infrastructure. The vulnerability's classification as difficult to exploit indicates that while it requires specific conditions and privileges, the potential impact on system availability makes it particularly dangerous in production environments where database uptime is paramount. The attack vector requires a high-privileged attacker with network access through multiple protocols, suggesting that this vulnerability could be leveraged by adversaries who have already gained significant access to the network infrastructure or have obtained elevated credentials within the database environment.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from an issue within InnoDB's internal processing mechanisms that can lead to complete denial of service conditions. When successfully exploited, the vulnerability enables attackers to cause either a hang or frequently repeatable crashes that can completely disable the MySQL Server instance. This type of vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad and can result in significant business disruption when database services become inaccessible. The CVSS 3.1 scoring of 4.4 reflects the moderate severity of the availability impact, though the potential for repeated crashes makes this a particularly concerning threat to database reliability. The vulnerability's characteristics align with CWE-119, which deals with improper access to memory locations, and may involve buffer overflow or memory corruption scenarios within InnoDB's processing logic that can be triggered through specific database operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-22033 extends beyond simple service interruption to potentially cause cascading failures in applications that depend on MySQL database connectivity. Organizations running affected versions face the risk of extended downtime periods that can severely impact business operations, especially in environments where database availability is critical for application functionality. The vulnerability's requirement for high-privileged access suggests that it may be more commonly exploited in scenarios involving insider threats or compromised administrative accounts rather than broad external attacks. However, the potential for complete system crashes means that even limited access could result in significant operational disruption. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which focuses on network denial of service attacks, and represents a specific pathway to achieve availability compromise through database system manipulation.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected MySQL Server instances to mitigate this vulnerability, particularly in environments where the database serves critical business functions. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to MySQL Server version 8.0.34 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to address the InnoDB processing flaw. Security teams should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of privilege escalation scenarios that could lead to exploitation. Monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual database behavior patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation, including monitoring for repeated connection failures or service interruptions. Additionally, organizations should conduct vulnerability assessments to identify all instances running affected MySQL versions and prioritize remediation efforts based on the criticality of the database services they support. The vulnerability's characteristics make it particularly important for organizations to maintain current patch management processes and to have incident response procedures in place for handling database availability incidents.