Vulnerability Note VU#645326

MySQL fails to properly handle overly long "scramble" values

Overview

There is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the way MySQL handles overly long "scramble" strings, which could allow an attacker to cause a denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code.

I. Description

MySQL is an open-source database system available for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and other UNIX-based operating systems. There is a vulnerability in MySQL in which an overly long "scramble" string generated by the my_rnd() function could cause a buffer overflow to occur. It has been reported that versions 4.1 prior to 4.1.3 and version 5.0 are affected.

II. Impact

A remote, unauthenticated attacker could cause a denial of service or potentially execute code of the attacker's choice.

III. Solution

Upgrade

According to the NGSSoftware Security Advisory, this vulnerability has been fixed in version 4.1.3 (Beta) and version 5.0 (Alpha).

Note: Users should exercise caution before installing beta or alpha releases.

Restrict access

Block or restrict access to the MySQL service (typically 3306/tcp) from untrusted networks such as the Internet.

Systems Affected

Vendor	Status	Date Notified	Date Updated
MySQL	Vulnerable	12-Jul-2004

References

http://www.nextgenss.com/advisories/mysql-authbypass.txt
http://secunia.com/advisories/12020/
http://www.securitytracker.com/alerts/2004/Jul/1010645.html
http://xforce.iss.net/xforce/xfdb/16612

Credit

This vulnerability was reported by Chris Anley of NGSSoftware.

This document was written by Damon Morda.

Other Information

Date Public:	2004-07-01
Date First Published:	2004-07-12
Date Last Updated:	2004-07-21
CERT Advisory:
CVE-ID(s):	CAN-2004-0628
NVD-ID(s):	CAN-2004-0628
US-CERT Technical Alerts:
Metric:	2.23
Document Revision:	15

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