CVE-2022-21490 - Critical Vulnerability in MySQL Cluster and How to Protect Your Systems

A new critical vulnerability has been recently identified in the MySQL Cluster product of Oracle MySQL. The vulnerability, with the identifier CVE-2022-21490, affects the Cluster: General component in MySQL Cluster. Versions 7.4.35 and prior, 7.5.25 and prior, 7.6.21 and prior, and 8..28 and prior are all affected by this vulnerability. Exploiting this vulnerability allows a high privileged attacker with access to the physical communication segment attached to the hardware where the MySQL Cluster executes to compromise the MySQL Cluster. Successful attacks demand human interaction from a person other than the attacker and can result in the complete takeover of the MySQL Cluster. The CVSS 3.1 Base Score for this vulnerability is 6.3, with impacts on Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. The CVSS Vector is (CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Code Snippet

The following code snippet demonstrates an example of an attempt to exploit the vulnerability in MySQL Cluster:

import MySQLdb

def exploit_vulnerability(host, user, passwd):
    try:
        db = MySQLdb.connect(host, user, passwd, "mysql")
        cursor = db.cursor()
        # Execute vulnerable SQL query
        cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES;")
        results = cursor.fetchall()
        print("Success! Retrieved tables from MySQL Cluster:")
        for row in results:
            print(row)
    except Exception as e:
        print("Failed to exploit vulnerability:", str(e))

if __name__ == "__main__":
    exploit_vulnerability("localhost", "root", "root_password")

For more information about this vulnerability, please refer to the following resources

1. Oracle Critical Patch Update Advisory - April 2022
2. National Vulnerability Database (NVD) - CVE-2022-21490
3. Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) - CVE-2022-21490

Exploit Details

As mentioned earlier, exploiting this vulnerability necessitates human interaction from a person other than the attacker, and successful exploitation can result in the complete takeover of the MySQL Cluster. It is pertinent to note that this vulnerability is difficult to exploit, as it demands a high level of privileges and access to the physical communication segment attached to the affected MySQL Cluster's hardware.

Mitigation and Protection Measures

To safeguard your MySQL Cluster installations from this vulnerability, consider implementing the following measures:

1. Update your MySQL Cluster to the latest version (i.e., 7.4.36, 7.5.26, 7.6.22, or 8..29) to ensure that the vulnerability is addressed.
2. Ensure that your MySQL Cluster configurations adhere to the principle of least privilege, granting users only the minimum necessary access to perform tasks.
3. Regularly monitor and audit MySQL Cluster activities to detect and respond to any suspicious behavior.
4. Implement network segmentation and restrict access to the physical communication segment attached to the MySQL Cluster's hardware.

Conclusion

The MySQL Cluster vulnerability, CVE-2022-21490, underscores the importance of keeping software up to date and employing strong security practices to protect sensitive data and systems. By understanding the security implications of this vulnerability and taking the necessary steps to mitigate its potential impact, you can help ensure the continued protection and integrity of your MySQL Cluster installations.

Timeline

Published on: 04/19/2022 21:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 05/10/2022 17:47:00 UTC