MariaDB Connector/J does not enforce allowLocalInfile=false on server-initiated LOCAL INFILE requests

Summary

MariaDB Connector/J does not enforce allowLocalInfile=false when processing server-initiated LOCAL INFILE requests (protocol packet type 0xfb). However, exploitation is constrained: the server can only request the exact filename the client already included in its LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE query, it cannot redirect to arbitrary paths.

Details

When a client executes LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE '/path/to/file', the connector sends the filename to the server as part of the COM_QUERY. A rogue or MitM server responds with a 0xfb packet echoing that same filename. The connector, without checking allowLocalInfile, transmits the file content.

The bypass is therefore limited to the file the application itself intended to load. The attacker cannot escalate to other files (e.g. /etc/passwd) unless the application's own query targets them.

The real-world risk is:

• An application that uses LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE on potentially sensitive files (credentials, exports, configs) and connects over an untrusted network.
• allowLocalInfile=false is supposed to disable this entire mechanism as a defense-in-depth measure, but the flag is ignored.

Impact

The security guarantee of allowLocalInfile=false is not upheld, but practical exploitation requires both a MitM/rogue server and an application that actively uses LOCAL INFILE on sensitive data.

Credit

Reported by tharavel