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CVE-2023-5157: High Vulnerability in MariaDB

A high-severity vulnerability in MariaDB allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service through an OpenVAS port scan. Organizations should prioritize patching to mitigate potential impacts.

HIGHCVSS 7.5 · Published September 27, 2023

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A vulnerability was found in MariaDB. An OpenVAS port scan on ports 3306 and 4567 allows a malicious remote client to cause a denial of service. The vulnerability has been assigned the CVE ID CVE-2023-5157 and has been rated with a CVSS score of 7.5, classifying it as high severity. This classification underscores the importance of addressing the vulnerability swiftly.

Risk to organizations includes potential downtime and service disruptions that can significantly impact operations. Given the nature of the attack vector, where remote exploitation is possible without user interaction, organizations should prioritize patching immediately.

Currently, there is no known public exploit available for this vulnerability, and it is not actively being exploited in the wild. However, the potential for denial of service makes it critical for organizations to address this vulnerability in their environments.

Organizations running affected versions of MariaDB, particularly those on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Fedora, should schedule remediation as soon as possible to mitigate any potential risks associated with this vulnerability.

Vulnerability Details

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to conduct denial of service attacks by exploiting specific ports. The affected components include MariaDB versions prior to 10.3.36, between 10.4.0 and 10.4.26, between 10.5.0 and 10.5.17, between 10.6.0 and 10.6.9, between 10.7.0 and 10.7.5, and between 10.8.0 and 10.8.4.

The CVSS score of 7.5 indicates a high severity level, emphasizing the need for an immediate response. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-400, indicating an improper resource management issue.

The vulnerability has been publicly disclosed, with its publication date set for September 27, 2023, and is currently marked as modified.

Technical Analysis

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the handling of incoming requests on the specified ports. Attackers may leverage these open ports to conduct a denial of service attack without needing any privileges or user interaction. The attack complexity is low, making it accessible to less sophisticated threat actors.

The attack vector is clearly defined as network-based, with a high impact on availability. This means that successful exploitation can lead to significant downtime for the affected services.

The availability impact is classified as high, while confidentiality and integrity impacts are marked as none. This indicates that while the service can be disrupted, no sensitive data is at risk in this specific scenario.

Risk & Impact Analysis

Real-world deployment risk is substantial as many organizations utilize MariaDB within their infrastructure. The potential for denial of service can affect critical business operations, leading to financial losses and reputational damage.

Given the widespread usage of MariaDB across different environments, the blast radius for this vulnerability is considerable. Organizations that have not yet applied the necessary patches should incorporate this vulnerability into their risk management strategies and prioritize it based on the CVSS rating.

The urgency for remediation is high, and organizations are encouraged to schedule patching during their next maintenance cycle or sooner if possible.

Exploitation Status

Signal

Status

Known Exploit

No

Public PoC

No

Actively Exploited

No

Ransomware Use

No

Affected Versions

The following versions of MariaDB are affected: All versions prior to 10.3.36, 10.4.0 to 10.4.26, 10.5.0 to 10.5.17, 10.6.0 to 10.6.9, 10.7.0 to 10.7.5, and 10.8.0 to 10.8.4.

Mitigation & Remediation

Organizations should prioritize patching to mitigate this vulnerability. Upgrading to MariaDB version 10.3.36 or higher is recommended. If patching is not immediately possible, implementing network controls to restrict access to the vulnerable ports can serve as a temporary measure.

Monitoring network traffic for unusual patterns can also help in detecting potential exploitation attempts.

For further guidance, organizations may consider engaging in penetration testing to identify similar weaknesses.

Detection Guidance

To detect potential exploitation of this vulnerability, organizations should monitor logs for any unusual connection attempts to ports 3306 and 4567. Additionally, any sudden spikes in resource usage or service interruptions should be investigated promptly.

AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight

The long-term significance of this vulnerability highlights the need for robust network security practices. Organizations should continually evaluate their configurations and security measures to safeguard against similar vulnerabilities.

This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining up-to-date software and applying patches regularly to mitigate risks.

For more insights and resources, organizations can refer to the following articles: penetration testing methodology, vulnerability management program design, and API penetration testing guide for best practices.

Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.

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