CVE-2016-6653
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 · uneditedThe MariaDB audit_plugin component in Pivotal Cloud Foundry (PCF) cf-mysql-release 27 and 28 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information by reading syslog messages, as demonstrated by cleartext credentials.
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 · high confidenceThe MariaDB audit_plugin in Pivotal Cloud Foundry cf-mysql-release 27 and 28 logs sensitive information including credentials in cleartext to syslog. Remote attackers can read these syslog messages to obtain database credentials.
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= 27.0= 28.0CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify cf-mysql-release versionLocate the cf-mysql-release version in your deployment manifest or deployed product metadata. Common locations: deployment manifest YAML under releases section, or bosh deployments command output.Affected if The installed version is exactly 27.0 or 28.0
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Verify MariaDB audit plugin is enabledCheck the MariaDB/MySQL configuration for the audit_plugin. Typically found in my.cnf or a custom audit plugin configuration file. Run 'SHOW PLUGINS' in MySQL to list loaded plugins and confirm audit_plugin is active.Affected if The audit_plugin is loaded and active in the MariaDB/MySQL instance
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Confirm syslog is configured as audit log destinationInspect the audit plugin configuration to determine where it writes logs. Check my.cnf for audit_plugin parameters like audit_log_file and audit_json. Look for syslog directives in the plugin configuration.Affected if Syslog is configured as the output destination for the audit plugin logs
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Examine syslog output for credentialsReview syslog entries from the mysql/mariadb service. Search for log entries containing terms like 'password', 'credentials', or connection strings. Use grep or your syslog viewer to inspect recent mysql-related syslog messages.Affected if Cleartext credentials or sensitive authentication data appear in syslog messages from the database service
A user is affected if they run cf-mysql-release version 27.0 or 28.0 with the MariaDB audit plugin enabled and configured to log to syslog, resulting in credentials appearing in plaintext in system logs.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpgrade cf-mysql-release to version 29 or later which contains the patched audit_plugin. Alternatively, restrict syslog access and disable credential logging in the audit plugin.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-6653 — 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-6653 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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