CVE-2024-21179 is a vulnerability in the Oracle MySQL Server, specifically within the InnoDB storage engine component. It affects all supported versions up to 8.0.37 and 8.4.0 and prior. The flaw allows an attacker who already has high privileges and network access through multiple protocols to exploit the vulnerability to cause the MySQL Server to hang or crash repeatedly, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability does not allow unauthorized access to data or modification but solely impacts availability. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.9, reflecting a medium severity primarily due to availability impact. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), but requires high privileges (PR:H) and no user interaction (UI:N). The vulnerability is related to improper authorization (CWE-285), indicating that the server fails to properly restrict certain operations to authorized users. No patches or exploits are currently publicly available, but the vulnerability is officially published and should be addressed promptly to prevent potential DoS attacks.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the availability of critical database services running MySQL Server, especially in environments where high privileged users have network access. Organizations relying on MySQL for web applications, financial systems, or internal services could experience service interruptions or outages if exploited. While the vulnerability does not compromise data confidentiality or integrity, denial of service can disrupt business operations, cause downtime, and lead to financial and reputational damage. Given the widespread use of MySQL across various sectors in Europe, including finance, government, and e-commerce, the impact could be significant if exploited in critical infrastructure or high-availability environments. The requirement for high privileges limits the attack surface but insider threats or compromised administrative accounts could leverage this vulnerability.

European organizations should immediately verify their MySQL Server versions and plan to upgrade to versions beyond 8.0.37 and 8.4.0 once patches are released by Oracle. In the interim, restrict network access to MySQL servers to trusted administrators only, using network segmentation and firewall rules to limit exposure. Implement strict access controls and monitor for unusual administrative activity to detect potential misuse of high privileged accounts. Employ intrusion detection systems to identify abnormal MySQL server behavior such as repeated crashes or hangs. Regularly audit user privileges to ensure the principle of least privilege is enforced, minimizing the number of users with high privilege network access. Additionally, consider deploying failover and redundancy mechanisms to mitigate the impact of potential DoS conditions.