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Mysql ServerDatabase / datastore · Oracle

CVE-2022-21457

MEDIUM · 5.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-04-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.0.28 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Vulnerability in the MySQL Server product of Oracle MySQL (component: Server: PAM Auth Plugin). Supported versions that are affected are 8.0.28 and prior. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via multiple protocols to compromise MySQL Server. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized access to critical data or complete access to all MySQL Server accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 5.9 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

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 confidence

Vulnerability in the MySQL Server PAM Auth Plugin allows unauthenticated attackers with network access via multiple protocols to compromise MySQL Server. The flaw enables unauthorized access to critical data or all accessible data, with high confidentiality impact but no integrity or availability impact. Exploitation is described as difficult to exploit.

MitigationUpdate MySQL Server to version 8.0.29 or later to obtain the patch. If immediate update is not feasible, consider disabling the PAM authentication plugin or implementing network-level access controls to limit exposure.

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
Mysql ServerDatabase / datastore
Affected:>= 8.0.0, <= 8.0.28
Active Iq Unified ManagerApplication
Affected:all versions
Oncommand InsightApplication
Affected:all versions
SnapcenterApplication
Affected:all versions

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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 checks

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

  1. Check if PAM authentication plugin is loaded
    Run 'SHOW PLUGINS;' or query 'SELECT * FROM information_schema.PLUGINS WHERE plugin_name LIKE '%pam%';' to see if the PAM plugin is installed and its status (ACTIVE or INACTIVE)
    Affected if The PAM authentication plugin shows status ACTIVE - this means the vulnerable component is loaded and running
  2. Check MySQL Server version
    Run 'SELECT VERSION();' or use 'mysql --version' from command line
    Affected if Version is between 8.0.0 and 8.0.28 inclusive (or below 8.0.29)
  3. Verify if PAM authentication is in use for any user accounts
    Query 'SELECT user, host, plugin FROM mysql.user WHERE plugin = 'mysql_old_password' OR plugin = 'authentication_pam';' to see which users authenticate via PAM
    Affected if Any database users are configured to use the authentication_pam plugin - these accounts are directly exploitable
  4. For NetApp products, identify if MySQL component uses PAM
    Check product documentation or inspect the MySQL configuration embedded within NetApp Active Iq Unified Manager, Oncommand Insight, or Snapcenter for 'authentication_pam' plugin configuration
    Affected if The NetApp product includes MySQL with PAM authentication plugin enabled - all versions of these products are affected since they include the vulnerable component

You are affected if your MySQL Server version is 8.0.0 through 8.0.28 AND the PAM authentication plugin is loaded and actively used for any user accounts, or if you run any version of the listed NetApp products with MySQL PAM authentication configured.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 8.0.28
Interim mitigation

Update MySQL Server to version 8.0.29 or later to obtain the patch. If immediate update is not feasible, consider disabling the PAM authentication plugin or implementing network-level access controls to limit exposure.

Recommended fix High confidence

MySQL 8.0.29 or later (Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2022)

  1. Upgrade MySQL Server from any version 8.0.0 through 8.0.28 to version 8.0.29 or later to resolve the PAM Auth Plugin vulnerability
  2. For NetApp Active IQ Unified Manager, Oncommand Insight, and Snapcenter, refer to NetApp security advisory NTAP-20220421-0001 for product-specific patches

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Mysql Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2022-21457 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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