MariaDB Connector/J: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information and Insufficiently Protected Credentials
mariadb-corporation · mariadb-connector-j
5.9MediumCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Scheduled
Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.
Mitigation available
Direct vendor intelligence
Authoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories
Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.
1 current
CVE-2026-55857 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 3 · finalRed Hat Product Securityorg.mariadb.jdbc/mariadb-java-client: MariaDB Connector/J: Information Disclosure via Insecure PAM Dialog Authentication
44 known affected
The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.
openshift-pipelines/pipelines-console-plugin-pf5-rhel9 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines
openshift-pipelines/pipelines-console-plugin-rhel8 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines
openshift-pipelines/pipelines-console-plugin-rhel9 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines
openshift-pipelines/pipelines-hub-ui-rhel8 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines
openshift-pipelines/pipelines-hub-ui-rhel9 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines
mariadb-java-client as a component of Red Hat build of Debezium 3
keycloak/rhbk-openshift-rhel9 as a component of Red Hat Build of Keycloak
mariadb-java-client as a component of Red Hat Build of Keycloak
rhbk/keycloak-rhel9 as a component of Red Hat Build of Keycloak
mariadb-java-client as a component of Red Hat build of Quarkus
mariadb-java-client.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Judy.src (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Summary
A flaw was found in MariaDB Connector/J. A remote attacker or a man-in-the-middle server can exploit a vulnerability in the PAM dialog authentication mechanism. This flaw allows the attacker to coerce the connector into transmitting account passwords over an insecure connection when default configurations are used. Consequently, the user's password can be intercepted in cleartext, leading to sensitive information disclosure.
Remediation
Connect using sslMode=verify-full (or verify-ca) with a properly configured server certificate and trust store, or use a local Unix socket, so the connector never negotiates PAM dialog authentication over cleartext. Setting restrictedAuth to exclude the dialog/mysql_clear_password plugins also prevents disclosure. A fixed MariaDB Connector/J (2.7.14, 3.3.5, 3.4.3, or 3.5.9, as appropriate for the branch in use) additionally addresses the issue.
Optional official sources
National CERT insights ?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.
Select the national-authority views to include. The exact source language is shown on each matched advisory. Your choice is remembered on this device and encoded in the shareable URL.
Official European source
ENISA European Vulnerability Database
Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.
1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier
EUVD-2026-68020
No EUVD known-exploited evidence
MariaDB Connector/J is used to connect applications developed in Java to MariaDB and MySQL databases. Prior to 2.7.14, 3.3.5, 3.4.3, and 3.5.9, PAM dialog authentication can be coerced into transmitting the account password over an insecure connection. The mysql_clear_password plugin is gated behind a secure transport, but the sibling PAM handler SendPamAuthPacketFactory, named dialog by the server, does not declare that requirement and inherits the default secure-required value false; older branches implement the same affected behavior in SendPamAuthPacket. A hostile or man-in-the-middle server can send an Authentication Switch Request for dialog over plain TCP, causing the driver to return the user's password in cleartext when sslMode=DISABLE and restrictedAuth=null, which is the default configuration. Properly verified TLS and local Unix sockets are not exposed to this transport vector. This issue is fixed in versions 2.7.14, 3.3.5, 3.4.3, and 3.5.9.
EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
5.9 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionScheduled
Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.
Mitigation available
01
What, why and how
MariaDB Connector/J is used to connect applications developed in Java to MariaDB and MySQL databases. Prior to 2.7.14, 3.3.5, 3.4.3, and 3.5.9, PAM dialog authentication can be coerced into transmitting the account password over an insecure connection. The mysql_clear_password plugin is gated behind a secure transport, but the sibling PAM handler SendPamAuthPacketFactory, named dialog by the server, does not declare that requirement and inherits the default secure-required value false; older branches implement the same affected behavior in SendPamAuthPacket. A hostile or man-in-the-middle server can send an Authentication Switch Request for dialog over plain TCP, causing the driver to return the user's password in cleartext when sslMode=DISABLE and restrictedAuth=null, which is the default configuration. Properly verified TLS and local Unix sockets are not exposed to this transport vector. This issue is fixed in versions 2.7.14, 3.3.5, 3.4.3, and 3.5.9.
What
MariaDB Connector/J is used to connect applications developed in Java to MariaDB and MySQL databases. Prior to 2.7.14, 3.3.5, 3.4.3, and 3.5.9, PAM dialog authentication can be coerced into transmitting the account password over an insecure connection. The mysql_clear_password plugin is gated behind a secure transport, but the sibling PAM handler SendPamAuthPacketFactory, named dialog by the server, does not declare that requirement and inherits the default secure-required value false; older branches implement the same affected behavior in SendPamAuthPacket. A hostile or man-in-the-middle server can send an Authentication Switch Request for dialog over plain TCP, causing the driver to return the user's password in cleartext when sslMode=DISABLE and restrictedAuth=null, which is the default configuration. Properly verified TLS and local Unix sockets are not exposed to this transport vector. This issue is fixed in versions 2.7.14, 3.3.5, 3.4.3, and 3.5.9.
Why
The product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
What
MariaDB Connector/J is used to connect applications developed in Java to MariaDB and MySQL databases. Prior to 2.7.14, 3.3.5, 3.4.3, and 3.5.9, PAM dialog authentication can be coerced into transmitting the account password over an insecure connection. The mysql_clear_password plugin is gated behind a secure transport, but the sibling PAM handler SendPamAuthPacketFactory, named dialog by the server, does not declare that requirement and inherits the default secure-required value false; older branches implement the same affected behavior in SendPamAuthPacket. A hostile or man-in-the-middle server can send an Authentication Switch Request for dialog over plain TCP, causing the driver to return the user's password in cleartext when sslMode=DISABLE and restrictedAuth=null, which is the default configuration. Properly verified TLS and local Unix sockets are not exposed to this transport vector. This issue is fixed in versions 2.7.14, 3.3.5, 3.4.3, and 3.5.9.
Why
The product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation ?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No confirmed evidence
No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material ?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.None recorded
No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.
Likely attack path
a network path → Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
High: exploitation depends on specific conditions
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness ?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information. The product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors.
CVSS vector ?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACHighAttack complexity: Successful exploitation depends on specific conditions outside the attacker's direct control.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.INoneIntegrity impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
NetworkUnauthenticatedCWE-319
A
Official authority intelligence
Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-68020Official EUVD mapping
MariaDB Connector/J is used to connect applications developed in Java to MariaDB and MySQL databases. Prior to 2.7.14, 3.3.5, 3.4.3, and 3.5.9, PAM dialog authentication can be coerced into transmitting the account password over an insecure connection. The mysql_clear_password plugin is gated behind a secure transport, but the sibling PAM handler SendPamAuthPacketFactory, named dialog by the server, does not declare that requirement and inherits the default secure-required value false; older branches implement the same affected behavior in SendPamAuthPacket. A hostile or man-in-the-middle server can send an Authentication Switch Request for dialog over plain TCP, causing the driver to return the user's password in cleartext when sslMode=DISABLE and restrictedAuth=null, which is the default configuration. Properly verified TLS and local Unix sockets are not exposed to this transport vector. This issue is fixed in versions 2.7.14, 3.3.5, 3.4.3, and 3.5.9.
Official EUVD record ↗BSI · German · WID-SEC-2026-3089MariaDB Connectors: Mehrere Schwachstellen
Ein entfernter, anonymer Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in MariaDB Connectors ausnutzen, um SQL-Injection-Angriffe durchzuführen, Sicherheitsmaßnahmen zu umgehen und Daten offenzulegen oder zu manipulieren.
Official advisory ↗Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20260902Security Bulletin 2 Sept 2026
The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 2 Sept 2026, published on 2 September 2026. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
Status ?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
No verified patch reference is present in the current structured sources. Check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Workaround
Connect using sslMode=verify-full (or verify-ca) with a properly configured server certificate and trust store, or use a local Unix socket, so the connector never negotiates PAM dialog authentication over cleartext. Setting restrictedAuth to exclude the dialog/mysql_clear_password plugins also prevents disclosure. A fixed MariaDB Connector/J (2.7.14, 3.3.5, 3.4.3, or 3.5.9, as appropriate for the branch in use) additionally addresses the issue.
04
Evidence and provenance
Published 28 Aug 2026 · Last source change 28 Aug 2026, 22:44 UTC · CWE-319 · Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source ?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-29
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-68020
Product sourceVendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD awaiting enrichment
Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.
Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
Before
< 2.7.14; >= 3.0.0, < 3.3.5; >= 3.4.0, < 3.4.3; >= 3.5.0, < 3.5.9 · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
After
mariadb-connector-j: < 2.7.14, >= 3.0.0, < 3.3.5, >= 3.4.0, < 3.4.3, >= 3.5.0, < 3.5.9 · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
Before
openshift-pipelines/pipelines-console-plugin-pf5-rhel9 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines; openshift-pipelines/pipelines-console-plugin-rhel8 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines; openshift-pipelines/pipelines-console-plugin-rhel9 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines; openshift-pipelines/pipelines-hub-ui-rhel8 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines; openshift-pipelines/pipelines-hub-ui-rhel9 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines; mariadb-java-client as a component of Red Hat build of Debezium 3; keycloak/rhbk-openshift-rhel9 as a component of Red Hat Build of Keycloak; mariadb-java-client as a component of Red Hat Build of Keycloak; rhbk/keycloak-rhel9 as a component of Red Hat Build of Keycloak; mariadb-java-client as a component of Red Hat build of Quarkus; mariadb-java-client.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; Judy.src (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; Judy (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; galera.src (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; galera (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-backup (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-common (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-devel (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-embedded-devel (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-embedded (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-errmsg (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-gssapi-server (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-oqgraph-engine (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-pam (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-server-galera (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-server-utils (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-server (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-test (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb.src (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; and 18 more
After
openshift-pipelines/pipelines-console-plugin-pf5-rhel9 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines; openshift-pipelines/pipelines-console-plugin-rhel8 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines; openshift-pipelines/pipelines-console-plugin-rhel9 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines; openshift-pipelines/pipelines-hub-ui-rhel8 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines; openshift-pipelines/pipelines-hub-ui-rhel9 as a component of OpenShift Pipelines; mariadb-java-client as a component of Red Hat build of Debezium 3; keycloak/rhbk-openshift-rhel9 as a component of Red Hat Build of Keycloak; mariadb-java-client as a component of Red Hat Build of Keycloak; rhbk/keycloak-rhel9 as a component of Red Hat Build of Keycloak; mariadb-java-client as a component of Red Hat build of Quarkus; mariadb-java-client.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; Judy.src (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; Judy (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; galera.src (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; galera (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-backup (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-common (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-devel (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-embedded-devel (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-embedded (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-errmsg (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-gssapi-server (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-oqgraph-engine (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-pam (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-server-galera (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-server-utils (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-server (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb-test (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb.src (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; mariadb (mariadb:10.3) as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; and 14 more
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
CVE-2026-55857: MariaDB Connector/J: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information and Insufficiently Protected Credentials | BlackTree
