Description
Oracle MySQL 5.1 before 5.1.49 and 5.5 before 5.5.5 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (mysqld daemon crash) by using the HANDLER interface and performing "alternate reads from two indexes on a table," which triggers an assertion failure.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 5.0 | mysql-dfsg-5.0 | 5.0.51a-24+lenny5 | DSA-2143-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | mysql +7 | 5.1.52-1.el6_0.1 | RHSA-2011:0164 |
| RHEL 5 | mysql +4 | 5.0.77-4.el5_5.4 | RHSA-2010:0825 |
| RHEL 4 | mysql +3 | 4.1.22-2.el4_8.4 | RHSA-2010:0824 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 1
- Oracle MySQL 5.1.48 - 'HANDLER' Interface Denial of Service EDB-34520 · dos · Aug 20, 2010 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 4
- RHSA-2011:0164 Red Hat Security Advisory: mysql security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2010:0825 Red Hat Security Advisory: mysql security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2010:0824 Red Hat Security Advisory: mysql security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-2143-1 mysql-dfsg-5.0 - several vulnerabilities Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=628680
- USN-1397-1 vendor-advisory
- 42875 third-party-advisory
- RHSA-2010:0824 vendor-advisory
- USN-1017-1 vendor-advisory
- TLSA-2011-3 vendor-advisory
- http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.5/en/news-5-5-5.html
- MDVSA-2011:012 vendor-advisory
- mysql-handler-interface-dos(64685) vdb-entry
- ADV-2011-0105 vdb-entry
- MDVSA-2010:222 vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2011:0164 vendor-advisory
- ADV-2011-0170 vdb-entry
- ADV-2011-0133 vdb-entry
- http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/news-5-1-49.html
- http://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=54007
- DSA-2143 vendor-advisory
- ADV-2011-0345 vdb-entry
- MDVSA-2010:155 vendor-advisory
- 42936 third-party-advisory
- SUSE-SR:2010:021 vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2010:0825 vendor-advisory
- SUSE-SR:2010:019 vendor-advisory
- 42633 vdb-entry
- [oss-security] 20100928 Re: CVE Request -- MySQL v5.1.49 -- multiple DoS flaws mailing-list