Junglewise Threat Intelligence

CVE-2017-3312: Oracle MySQL and MariaDB privilege escalation in mysqld_safe script

CVE-2017-3312 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.7 · Published 2017-01-27

Technologies: Oracle MySQL Server. Vendors: Oracle, MariaDB Foundation.

Executive brief

A vulnerability in the packaging and startup scripts of MySQL and MariaDB database servers could allow a local user to gain full control over the database system. To exploit this, an attacker must already have access to the server's underlying infrastructure and requires a legitimate user to perform a specific action. If successful, the attacker could compromise the confidentiality and integrity of all data stored in the database or cause a complete service outage.

Technical details

This vulnerability exists in the 'mysqld_safe' script and general packaging subcomponent of MySQL and MariaDB. It is a privilege escalation flaw where the script incorrectly handles the creation or management of error log files. A local attacker with low-privileged access to the underlying operating system can exploit this to escalate privileges, potentially reaching root access on some distributions. The attack is considered difficult to execute as it requires specific timing or conditions (high complexity) and requires interaction from a person other than the attacker. The issue is addressed in MySQL versions 5.5.54, 5.6.35, and 5.7.17, as well as MariaDB 5.5.54, 10.0.29, and 10.1.21.

Affected products

  • Oracle MySQL Server 5.5.53 and earlier, 5.6.34 and earlier, 5.7.16 and earlier
  • MariaDB Foundation MariaDB 5.5.0 before 5.5.54, 10.0.0 before 10.0.29, 10.1.0 before 10.1.21

Timeline

  • 2017-01-17: advisory: Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) published
  • 2017-01-19: patched: Debian released fixed mysql-5.5 packages
  • 2017-01-22: patched: Debian released fixed mariadb-10.0 packages
  • 2017-01-27: disclosed: NVD publication date

References

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