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CVE-2016-6664

CWE-59Published: December 13, 2016· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.0

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

mysqld_safe in Oracle MySQL through 5.5.51, 5.6.x through 5.6.32, and 5.7.x through 5.7.14; MariaDB; Percona Server before 5.5.51-38.2, 5.6.x before 5.6.32-78-1, and 5.7.x before 5.7.14-8; and Percona XtraDB Cluster before 5.5.41-37.0, 5.6.x before 5.6.32-25.17, and 5.7.x before 5.7.14-26.17, when using file-based logging, allows local users with access to the mysql account to gain root privileges via a symlink attack on error logs and possibly other files.

Technical Analysis

CVE-2016-6664 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.0.

A proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit exists for CVE-2016-6664. While not yet confirmed in active campaigns, the availability of PoC code increases exploitation risk substantially.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability

Attack VectorLocal

Attack ComplexityHigh

Privileges Req.Low

User InteractionNone

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

mariadb1 product(s)

mariadb

Oracle1 product(s)

mysql

percona2 product(s)

percona serverxtradb cluster

Source: NVD CPE · 4 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

POC AVAILABLEProof-of-concept code exists

Offensive Security exploit database

GitHub PoC Search

Community PoC repositories

Rapid7 / Metasploit

Metasploit module search

Security advisories & exploits

Official NIST entry

CVE Program entry

External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttp://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuoct2016-2881722.html

PATCHhttp://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuoct2016-2881722.html

ADVISORYhttp://legalhackers.com/advisories/MySQL-Maria-Percona-RootPrivEsc-CVE-2016-6664-5617-Exploit.html

ADVISORYhttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/139491/MySQL-MariaDB-PerconaDB-Root-Privilege-Escalation.html

ADVISORYhttp://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2130.html

ADVISORYhttp://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2749.html

ADVISORYhttp://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/Nov/4

ADVISORYhttp://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3770

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/539695/100/0/threaded

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93612

ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2192

ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0279

ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0574

ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201702-18

ADVISORYhttps://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40679/

ADVISORYhttps://www.percona.com/blog/2016/11/02/percona-responds-to-cve-2016-6663-and-cve-2016-6664/

ADVISORYhttp://legalhackers.com/advisories/MySQL-Maria-Percona-RootPrivEsc-CVE-2016-6664-5617-Exploit.html

ADVISORYhttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/139491/MySQL-MariaDB-PerconaDB-Root-Privilege-Escalation.html

ADVISORYhttp://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2130.html

ADVISORYhttp://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2749.html

ADVISORYhttp://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/Nov/4

ADVISORYhttp://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3770

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/539695/100/0/threaded

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93612

ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2192

ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0279

ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0574

ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201702-18

ADVISORYhttps://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40679/

ADVISORYhttps://www.percona.com/blog/2016/11/02/percona-responds-to-cve-2016-6663-and-cve-2016-6664/

All References (30)

→

http://legalhackers.com/advisories/MySQL-Maria-Percona-RootPrivEsc-CVE-2016-6664-5617-Exploit.htmlExploit · Third Party Advisory

→

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/139491/MySQL-MariaDB-PerconaDB-Root-Privilege-Escalation.htmlExploit · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry

→

http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2130.htmlThird Party Advisory

→

http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2749.htmlThird Party Advisory

→

http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/Nov/4Mailing List · Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3770Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuoct2016-2881722.htmlPatch · Vendor Advisory

→

http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/539695/100/0/threadedThird Party Advisory · VDB Entry

→

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93612Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry

→

https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2192Third Party Advisory

→

https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0279Third Party Advisory

→

https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0574Third Party Advisory

→

https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201702-18Third Party Advisory

→

https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40679/Exploit · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry

→

https://www.percona.com/blog/2016/11/02/percona-responds-to-cve-2016-6663-and-cve-2016-6664/Vendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2016-6664

CVSS Score7.0 / 10

SeverityHIGH

WeaknessCWE-59

CISA KEVNo

ExploitPOC

Affected3 vendor(s)

PublishedDec 13, 2016

Related CVEs (CWE-59)

Recommended Actions

→Apply vendor patches immediately
→Monitor CVE-2016-6664 in threat intel feeds
→Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts

Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.

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