CVE-2023-22053: Vulnerability in Oracle MySQL Server's Client Programs Leading to Unauthorized Access and DOS Attacks

CVE-2023-22053 is a vulnerability discovered in the MySQL Server product of Oracle MySQL. The vulnerability affects the client programs component of the software and impacts versions 5.7.42 and prior as well as 8..33 and prior. This vulnerability, though difficult to exploit, can enable a low privileged attacker with network access to compromise the MySQL Server via multiple protocols. Successful exploitation can lead to a complete denial of service (DOS) attack or unauthorized read access to a subset of the MySQL Server accessible data. This post will cover the details of the vulnerability, including code snippets, links to original references, and exploit details.

Vulnerability Details

CVSS 3.1 Base Score: 5.9
Confidentiality and Availability impacts
CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H)

The primary risk associated with this vulnerability is the unauthorized read access to a subset of MySQL Server accessible data and the potential to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) on the MySQL Server. A low privileged attacker with network access to the MySQL Server can potentially exploit this vulnerability using multiple protocols.

The following code snippet highlights one possible exploit of CVE-2023-22053

# Exploit Title: Oracle MySQL Server Client Programs Vulnerability
# Date: [Insert date of discovery]
# Exploit Author: [Insert name of researcher(s) who discovered the vulnerability]
# Vendor Homepage: https://www.oracle.com/mysql/
# Software Link: https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/
# Version: 5.7.42 and prior, 8..33 and prior
# Tested on: [Insert OS and version]
# CVE: CVE-2023-22053

import socket
import sys

try:
    sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
    socket.setdefaulttimeout(10)
    sock.connect((sys.argv[1], int(sys.argv[2])))
    sock.send("VULNERABILITY_TEST_QUERY")
    response = sock.recv(1024)
    if "VULNERABLE_SERVER_RESPONSE" in response:
        print("The target is vulnerable to CVE-2023-22053.")
    else:
        print("The target is not vulnerable to CVE-2023-22053.")
    sock.close()
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}")

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker needs network access to the MySQL Server. A low-privileged attacker (or an attacker using credentials with limited permissions) can then send a specially crafted query to the server, potentially gaining unauthorized read access to a subset of MySQL Server accessible data. In some cases, the attacker may also be able to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) on the MySQL Server.

Mitigations

Users are advised to update their MySQL Server installations to the latest version to address this vulnerability. Oracle has released patches for the affected versions, which can be found in the Oracle Security Alert Advisory.

Conclusion

CVE-2023-22053 is a potentially severe vulnerability in Oracle MySQL Server's client programs component, impacting versions 5.7.42 and prior as well as 8..33 and prior. A low-privileged attacker with network access can exploit this vulnerability to compromise MySQL Server, potentially causing a complete DOS and gaining unauthorized read access to a subset of MySQL Server accessible data. Updating the MySQL Server installation and applying appropriate patches will mitigate this vulnerability.

Timeline

Published on: 07/18/2023 21:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 09/16/2023 04:15:00 UTC