#VU32786 Improper Authentication in MySQL Server - CVE-2012-2122

Vulnerability identifier: #VU32786

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 6.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2012-2122

CWE-ID: CWE-287

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: Yes

Vulnerable software:
MySQL Server
Server applications / Database software

Vendor: Oracle

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote non-authenticated attacker to read and manipulate data.

sql/password.c in Oracle MySQL 5.1.x before 5.1.63, 5.5.x before 5.5.24, and 5.6.x before 5.6.6, and MariaDB 5.1.x before 5.1.62, 5.2.x before 5.2.12, 5.3.x before 5.3.6, and 5.5.x before 5.5.23, when running in certain environments with certain implementations of the memcmp function, allows remote attackers to bypass authentication by repeatedly authenticating with the same incorrect password, which eventually causes a token comparison to succeed due to an improperly-checked return value.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

MySQL Server: 5.1.3 - 5.1.61, 5.5.0 - 5.5.22, 5.6.0 - 5.6.5

---

External links
https://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=64884
https://kb.askmonty.org/en/mariadb-5162-release-notes/
https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-08/msg00007.html
https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2012/q2/493
https://secunia.com/advisories/49417
https://secunia.com/advisories/53372
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201308-06.xml
https://securitytracker.com/id?1027143
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/19092
https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/53911
https://community.rapid7.com/community/metasploit/blog/2012/06/11/cve-2012-2122-a-tragically-comedic-security-flaw-in-mysql

---

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, a fully functional exploit for this vulnerability is available.