Title: MySQL Root Operation Symbolic Link File Overwriting Vulnerability
Severity: MODERATE
Description:
MySQL is a relational database management system (RDBMS), freely available and open source. It is maintained by MySQL AB.
This vulnerability affects systems using implementations that have not been installed following the best practice guidelines in the MySQL documentation. MySQL documentation indicates a best practice of installing the database software with a seperate user and group account to run under.
It is possible for a user with a login to both the system and the MySQL database to overwrite sensitive files as well as gain elevated privileges on the local machine. This affects machines running the database as root. This may also affect files created by the user mysql under a recommended configuration, which could make it possible to overwrite other databases and files that are owned and write-accessible by the mysql user.
Upon logging into the system, a user may enter the /var/tmp directory, where MySQL stores newly created tables. By creating symbolic links in this directory to sensitive files, then logging into the database and creating a table corresponding to the name of the symbolic link, a user can overwrite the linked file. Any data placed in the created table will then be stored in the file that has been symbolically linked by MySQL. This is dependent entirely upon the attacker having a MySQL account with the "create table" privilege.
Affected Products:
- MySQL AB MySQL 3.20.32a
- MySQL AB MySQL 3.23.34
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