vulnerability / NVI-00013843 / Revision 2
org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client has Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information and Insufficiently Protected Credentials
GitHub lists this reviewed advisory for org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client, org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client, org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client, org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client. Published version ranges and source prerequisites are shown below; this is not an inspection of a visitor’s application.
This report has not inspected your inventory, configuration, deployed build, reachability or evidence. A catalog listing and a severity score do not establish exposure or compromise.
01 / Meaning
Why it matters
Published affected context helps an owner decide what evidence to gather. This report has not examined your application.
5.9 medium
GitHub source severity; exploitability and local consequence require separate evidence.
As of · GitHub Advisory Database
0.390%
FIRST EPSS model v2026.06.15; exploitation probability over 30 days, percentile 0.33209. Missing scores are unknown.
As of · FIRST EPSS
02 / Applicability
The affected context
Affected versions, configuration prerequisites and known exclusions are public. Confirm each one against the deployed service.
org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client
source listed< 2.7.14
### Summary When PAM (dialog) authentication is used, the connector can be coerced into sending the account password in cleartext over an insecure connection. A hostile or man-in-the-middle server can trigger this with the default configuration, disclosing the user's password. ### Details The mysql_clear_password plugin is gated behind a secure connection: the driver refuses to transmit the password in cleartext over plain TCP. The sibling PAM plugin handler (SendPamAuthPacketFactory, server-side plugin name dialog) did not override that gate and inherited the default value false, so it was not subject to the same secure-transport requirement. As a result, a hostile or man-in-the-middle server can issue an Authentication Switch Request for the dialog plugin over plain TCP, and the driver responds with the user's password in cleartext. With the default configuration (sslMode=DISABLE, restrictedAuth=null) this is reachable with no non-default options. ### Am I affected? You are affected if all of the following hold: * You use mariadb Connector/J at a version below the patched release(s). * Connections can occur over an insecure transport — i.e. plain TCP (sslMode=DISABLE), or
org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client
source listed>= 3.0.0, < 3.3.5
### Summary When PAM (dialog) authentication is used, the connector can be coerced into sending the account password in cleartext over an insecure connection. A hostile or man-in-the-middle server can trigger this with the default configuration, disclosing the user's password. ### Details The mysql_clear_password plugin is gated behind a secure connection: the driver refuses to transmit the password in cleartext over plain TCP. The sibling PAM plugin handler (SendPamAuthPacketFactory, server-side plugin name dialog) did not override that gate and inherited the default value false, so it was not subject to the same secure-transport requirement. As a result, a hostile or man-in-the-middle server can issue an Authentication Switch Request for the dialog plugin over plain TCP, and the driver responds with the user's password in cleartext. With the default configuration (sslMode=DISABLE, restrictedAuth=null) this is reachable with no non-default options. ### Am I affected? You are affected if all of the following hold: * You use mariadb Connector/J at a version below the patched release(s). * Connections can occur over an insecure transport — i.e. plain TCP (sslMode=DISABLE), or
org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client
source listed>= 3.4.0, < 3.4.3
### Summary When PAM (dialog) authentication is used, the connector can be coerced into sending the account password in cleartext over an insecure connection. A hostile or man-in-the-middle server can trigger this with the default configuration, disclosing the user's password. ### Details The mysql_clear_password plugin is gated behind a secure connection: the driver refuses to transmit the password in cleartext over plain TCP. The sibling PAM plugin handler (SendPamAuthPacketFactory, server-side plugin name dialog) did not override that gate and inherited the default value false, so it was not subject to the same secure-transport requirement. As a result, a hostile or man-in-the-middle server can issue an Authentication Switch Request for the dialog plugin over plain TCP, and the driver responds with the user's password in cleartext. With the default configuration (sslMode=DISABLE, restrictedAuth=null) this is reachable with no non-default options. ### Am I affected? You are affected if all of the following hold: * You use mariadb Connector/J at a version below the patched release(s). * Connections can occur over an insecure transport — i.e. plain TCP (sslMode=DISABLE), or
org.mariadb.jdbc:mariadb-java-client
source listed>= 3.5.0, < 3.5.9
### Summary When PAM (dialog) authentication is used, the connector can be coerced into sending the account password in cleartext over an insecure connection. A hostile or man-in-the-middle server can trigger this with the default configuration, disclosing the user's password. ### Details The mysql_clear_password plugin is gated behind a secure connection: the driver refuses to transmit the password in cleartext over plain TCP. The sibling PAM plugin handler (SendPamAuthPacketFactory, server-side plugin name dialog) did not override that gate and inherited the default value false, so it was not subject to the same secure-transport requirement. As a result, a hostile or man-in-the-middle server can issue an Authentication Switch Request for the dialog plugin over plain TCP, and the driver responds with the user's password in cleartext. With the default configuration (sslMode=DISABLE, restrictedAuth=null) this is reachable with no non-default options. ### Am I affected? You are affected if all of the following hold: * You use mariadb Connector/J at a version below the patched release(s). * Connections can occur over an insecure transport — i.e. plain TCP (sslMode=DISABLE), or
03 / Response
What to do next
- investigate
Identify the exact component and deployed version, examine the linked publisher’s conditions, and retain evidence of any mitigation.
Confirm current vendor support, compatibility and deployment evidence. This report has not tested a fix in your system. FIRST EPSS
A fixed release is not deployment evidence.
Check current vendor support and compatibility. After making a change, verify the deployed build and relevant runtime conditions. Keep the evidence, owner and time. An updated lockfile alone does not prove what is running.
04 / Limits
What this report cannot establish
- Customer inventory, deployment, reachability and exploitation have not been inspected.
05 / Provenance
Sources you can inspect
Each assertion retains its source. Mirrored records may repeat one underlying publisher; additional links are not independent corroboration.
- GHSA-qxvw-fvwx-5cp7 ↗
GitHub Advisory Database · vendor advisory
Observed . GitHub Advisory Database; CC-BY-4.0. Each advisory links its original attribution. Null normalizes fields.
- CVE-2026-55857 ↗
FIRST EPSS · official catalog
Observed . FIRST EPSS; probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, not local compromise. Dataset date/model retained; FIRST services terms apply.
Public revision history
Only published revisions appear here. Routine fetches do not create a material-change event.
- Revision 2 ·
Dated EPSS estimate updated; this is not a new disclosure or proof of exploitation.
- Revision 1 ·
First indexed by Null; source disclosure date is shown separately.