CVE-2022-21489: Oracle MySQL Cluster Privilege Escalation

CVE-2022-21489 Overview

CVE-2022-21489 is a security vulnerability affecting the MySQL Cluster product of Oracle MySQL, specifically within the Cluster: General component. This vulnerability allows a high-privileged attacker with physical access to the communication segment attached to the hardware where MySQL Cluster executes to potentially compromise the entire MySQL Cluster deployment. Successful exploitation requires human interaction from a person other than the attacker, making this a difficult-to-exploit vulnerability with specific environmental prerequisites.

Critical Impact

Successful attacks can result in complete takeover of MySQL Cluster, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the database cluster.

Affected Products

• Oracle MySQL Cluster versions 7.4.35 and prior
• Oracle MySQL Cluster versions 7.5.25 and prior
• Oracle MySQL Cluster versions 7.6.21 and prior
• Oracle MySQL Cluster versions 8.0.28 and prior
• NetApp Active IQ Unified Manager (VMware vSphere and Windows)
• NetApp OnCommand Insight
• NetApp SnapCenter

Discovery Timeline

• April 19, 2022 - CVE-2022-21489 published to NVD
• November 21, 2024 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-21489

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability resides in the Cluster: General component of Oracle MySQL Cluster. The attack requires the attacker to have high-level privileges and physical access to the adjacent network segment where the MySQL Cluster hardware is deployed. The exploitation complexity is high due to the requirement for human interaction from a third party, which significantly limits the attack surface and practical exploitability.

The vulnerability affects multiple major version branches of MySQL Cluster, spanning from the legacy 7.4.x series through the current 8.0.x branch. Organizations running any of the affected versions in environments where adjacent network access could be obtained by malicious actors should prioritize patching.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability has not been publicly disclosed by Oracle (classified as NVD-CWE-noinfo). However, the vulnerability characteristics suggest potential issues in how the MySQL Cluster General component handles certain operations or communications within the cluster network infrastructure that could be exploited by an attacker with physical network proximity.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2022-21489 requires adjacent network access (AV:A), meaning the attacker must have access to the physical communication segment attached to the MySQL Cluster hardware. The attack cannot be executed remotely over the internet but requires local network proximity. Additionally:

• Privileges Required: High-level privileges are necessary to initiate the attack
• User Interaction: Human interaction from a person other than the attacker is required
• Impact: Successful exploitation can lead to complete takeover of the MySQL Cluster, compromising data confidentiality, integrity, and system availability

The combination of these requirements makes practical exploitation difficult but not impossible in environments where network segmentation is insufficient or where insider threats exist.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-21489

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual authentication attempts or privilege escalation activities within MySQL Cluster nodes
• Anomalous network traffic patterns on the cluster communication segment
• Unexpected administrative operations or configuration changes in the cluster environment
• Log entries indicating unauthorized cluster node access or manipulation attempts

Detection Strategies

• Monitor MySQL Cluster audit logs for suspicious privileged operations and unauthorized access attempts
• Implement network intrusion detection systems (IDS) on the cluster communication segment to detect anomalous traffic
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions on MySQL Cluster nodes to identify potential compromise indicators
• Review authentication logs for unusual high-privilege account activity

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive audit logging on all MySQL Cluster nodes
• Configure alerts for administrative operations during non-standard hours
• Monitor physical network access points to the cluster segment
• Implement baseline monitoring for normal cluster communication patterns to detect anomalies

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-21489

Immediate Actions Required

• Inventory all MySQL Cluster deployments to identify installations running affected versions (7.4.35 and prior, 7.5.25 and prior, 7.6.21 and prior, 8.0.28 and prior)
• Apply the Oracle Critical Patch Update from April 2022 to remediate this vulnerability
• Review and restrict physical network access to the MySQL Cluster communication segment
• Audit high-privileged accounts with access to MySQL Cluster infrastructure

Patch Information

Oracle has addressed this vulnerability in the Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2022. Organizations should update MySQL Cluster to the following patched versions or later:

• MySQL Cluster 7.4.36 or later (for 7.4.x branch)
• MySQL Cluster 7.5.26 or later (for 7.5.x branch)
• MySQL Cluster 7.6.22 or later (for 7.6.x branch)
• MySQL Cluster 8.0.29 or later (for 8.0.x branch)

For NetApp products, refer to the NetApp Security Advisory NTAP-20220429-0005 for specific guidance on Active IQ Unified Manager, OnCommand Insight, and SnapCenter.

Workarounds

• Implement strict network segmentation to isolate MySQL Cluster communication segments from general network access
• Enforce the principle of least privilege for all accounts with MySQL Cluster administrative access
• Enable and monitor multi-factor authentication for high-privileged accounts accessing cluster infrastructure
• Restrict physical access to network infrastructure connecting MySQL Cluster nodes

# Configuration example - Network segmentation for MySQL Cluster
# Restrict access to MySQL Cluster management port (example iptables rules)
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 1186 -s 192.168.10.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 1186 -j DROP

# Enable MySQL Cluster audit logging in config.ini
# [mysqld default]
# audit_log=ON
# audit_log_policy=ALL