MariaDB Connector/J: XA recover() trusted server-supplied gtrid and bqual lengthsGHSA-4jq2-8v3c-97w8
LOWFix: mariadb-corporation/mariadb-connector-j@280efcfGHSA-4jq2-8v3c-97w8 is a low-severity (CVSS 3.7) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client. A fix is available for org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-4jq2-8v3c-97w8.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client☕org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client☕org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-clientReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
XAResource.recover() in MariaDB Connector/J trusted the gtrid_length and
bqual_length columns returned by XA RECOVER to allocate and split each Xid.
Details
MariaDbPoolConnection and MariaDbPoolPinnedConnection built each Xid of
the recovery list by allocating new byte[gtrid_length] and
new byte[bqual_length] and copying from the data column, without validating
the lengths against the XA specification bounds (Xid.MAXGTRIDSIZE,
Xid.MAXBQUALSIZE) or the actual payload. Negative or oversized lengths, or
lengths that do not fit the data, ended in large allocations or unchecked
exceptions (NegativeArraySizeException, ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException)
during recovery.
The fix validates the lengths before any allocation or copy and reports an
invalid row as an XAException (XAER_RMFAIL).
Impact
Availability only, and limited to applications running XA recovery: a malicious or compromised server, or a MitM, can crash the recovery or drive large allocations. Exploitation requires control of the server side of the connection.
Credit
Reported by fg0x0
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.3.7 | 3.3.7org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client:3.3.7 |
| ☕Maven | org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client | ≥ 3.4.0&&< 3.4.5 | 3.4.5org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client:3.4.5 |
| ☕Maven | org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client | ≥ 3.5.0&&< 3.5.11 | 3.5.11org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client:3.5.11 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client to 3.3.7 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-4jq2-8v3c-97w8 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Cap what an attacker can consume: apply request size, rate and timeout limits in front of the affected component, and run it with memory and CPU limits so exhaustion degrades one worker rather than the whole service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-4jq2-8v3c-97w8 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.