CVE-2024-21230 is a resource exhaustion vulnerability (CWE-400) in the Oracle MySQL Cluster server, specifically within the optimizer component. It affects multiple supported versions including 8.0.39 and prior, 8.4.2 and prior, and 9.0.1 and prior. The flaw allows an attacker with low privileges and network access via multiple protocols to induce a hang or repeated crash of the MySQL Server, resulting in a complete denial-of-service (DoS) condition. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring low privileges (PR:L), and no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), and the impact is solely on availability (A:H) without compromising confidentiality or integrity. This vulnerability could be exploited to disrupt database availability, impacting applications and services relying on MySQL Cluster. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the ease of exploitation and network accessibility make it a significant risk. The vulnerability highlights the importance of securing database clusters and monitoring for abnormal resource usage patterns.

For European organizations, exploitation of CVE-2024-21230 could lead to significant service disruptions due to denial-of-service conditions on MySQL Cluster instances. This can affect critical business applications, e-commerce platforms, and data services that rely on MySQL Cluster for high availability and scalability. The unavailability of database services can cause operational downtime, loss of productivity, and potential financial losses. While confidentiality and data integrity are not directly impacted, the availability impact alone can have cascading effects on business continuity and customer trust. Organizations in sectors such as finance, telecommunications, healthcare, and public services, which often rely on clustered database solutions, are particularly at risk. Additionally, the network-based attack vector means that attackers do not need direct access to the internal network if the MySQL Cluster is exposed or insufficiently segmented, increasing the attack surface.

1. Apply official patches or updates from Oracle as soon as they become available to remediate the vulnerability. 2. Restrict network access to MySQL Cluster instances by implementing strict firewall rules and network segmentation, allowing only trusted hosts and services to communicate with the database cluster. 3. Disable or limit exposure of unnecessary protocols and services that provide network access to MySQL Cluster to reduce the attack surface. 4. Monitor MySQL Cluster logs and system resource usage for abnormal patterns indicative of attempted resource exhaustion or crashes. 5. Implement rate limiting and connection throttling at network and application layers to mitigate potential DoS attempts. 6. Conduct regular security assessments and vulnerability scans to identify and remediate exposure of MySQL Cluster instances. 7. Employ intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) tuned to detect unusual traffic patterns targeting database services. 8. Maintain an incident response plan that includes procedures for handling database service outages and recovery.