Sql ServerApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2014-4061

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-08-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 SP3, 2008 R2 SP2, and 2012 SP1 does not properly control use of stack memory for processing of T-SQL batch commands, which allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (daemon hang) via a crafted T-SQL statement, aka "Microsoft SQL Server Stack Overrun Vulnerability."

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Stack-based buffer overrun in Microsoft SQL Server's T-SQL batch command processing allows authenticated remote attackers to cause a denial of service via crafted T-SQL statements. The vulnerability affects SQL Server 2008 SP3, 2008 R2 SP2, and 2012 SP1.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft security update to address the stack overrun. Limit SQL Server exposure to trusted users and enforce least-privilege principles for database accounts.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Sql ServerApplication
Affected:= 2008= 2012

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:N/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify SQL Server version
    Execute 'SELECT @@VERSION' in a SQL query window or check the SQL Server version via SQL Server Management Studio (right-click server instance > Properties > General).
    Affected if The version displayed is SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 3, SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 2, or SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1.
  2. Confirm SQL Server is running and accessible
    Verify the SQL Server service is running (via SQL Server Configuration Manager, Services console, or by successfully connecting with any SQL client).
    Affected if SQL Server service is active and accepts T-SQL queries from an authenticated session.
  3. Check if remote authentication is enabled
    Review SQL Server security configuration via 'SELECT @@SPID' or check that remote connections are permitted (via SQL Server Configuration Manager > Network Configuration).
    Affected if Remote TCP/IP or named pipes protocols are enabled, allowing authenticated remote access to the server.

A system is affected if it runs SQL Server 2008 SP3, 2008 R2 SP2, or 2012 SP1, the SQL Server service is running, and authenticated users (remote or local) can submit T-SQL commands.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the relevant Microsoft security update to address the stack overrun. Limit SQL Server exposure to trusted users and enforce least-privilege principles for database accounts.

Fix this in Sql Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-4061 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-4061 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data