MySQLDatabase / datastore · Oracle
CVE-2020-14697
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 · uneditedVulnerability in the MySQL Server product of Oracle MySQL (component: Server: Security: Privileges). Supported versions that are affected are 8.0.20 and prior. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows high privileged attacker with network access via multiple protocols to compromise MySQL Server. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of MySQL Server. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 7.2 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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 confidencePrivilege escalation vulnerability in MySQL Server's Security: Privileges component affecting versions 8.0.20 and prior. Allows high-privileged attackers with network access via multiple protocols to potentially achieve full takeover of the MySQL Server by exploiting the privileges management functionality.
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
MySQLDatabase / datastore
>= 8.0.0, <= 8.0.20
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
= 16.04= 18.04= 20.04all versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 installed MySQL Server versionRun `mysql --version` or connect to MySQL and execute `SELECT VERSION();`Affected if The version number returned is 8.0.x where x is 20 or lower
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Confirm the MySQL server process is network-accessibleCheck the MySQL configuration files (my.cnf or my.ini) for `bind-address` setting or `skip-networking` option; also verify port 3306 is listening on a non-localhost interface using `netstat -tlnp | grep 3306`Affected if The server binds to 0.0.0.0 or an external IP address and skip-networking is not enabled, making it reachable over the network
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Verify existing user privilege grantsConnect to MySQL and run `SELECT user, host, grant_priv, super_priv FROM mysql.user;` to identify accounts with elevated privilegesAffected if There are user accounts with `grant_priv` or `super_priv` set to 'Y' that could be exploited for privilege escalation
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Check for unauthenticated or low-privilege network-accessible accountsRun `SELECT user, host, authentication_string FROM mysql.user WHERE user NOT IN ('root', 'mysql.infoschema', 'mysql.session', 'mysql.sys');` to enumerate all accountsAffected if There are accounts accessible over the network that could be leveraged by an attacker with network access to escalate privileges
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Review audit logs for suspicious privilege changesExamine MySQL general query log or audit log for statements containing `GRANT`, `REVOKE`, or `CREATE USER` from untrusted sourcesAffected if Recent grants or user modifications were executed from network connections by accounts that should not have such capabilities
A user is affected if their MySQL Server version is 8.0.20 or lower and the server is accessible over the network with accounts that possess elevated privileges.
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 MySQL Server to version 8.0.21 or later (or apply Oracle's corresponding security patch) within a planned maintenance window, after validating application compatibility in non-production environments.
Fix this in MySQL
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-14697 — 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-2020-14697 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