CVE-2026-61828

Deferred Deferred - Pending Action

MySQL Root Passwordless Login in Nixpkgs

Publication date: 2026-07-15

Last updated on: 2026-07-15

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description

Nixpkgs is a collection of software packages that can be installed with the Nix package manager. Prior to the 25.11 and 26.05 channel fixes, the NixOS module for MySQL services.mysql initializes the MySQL database in a way that allows local users, such as unprivileged web or CGI processes on the same host, to log in as the root user without a password when the service is used with mysql or percona-server. This issue is fixed in the 25.11 and 26.05.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-07-15

Last Modified

2026-07-15

Generated

2026-08-05

AI Q&A

2026-07-16

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-03

NVD

CVE-2026-61828

EUVD

EUVD-2026-44690

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
nixos	mysql	to 26.11 (exc)
nixos	percona_server	to 26.11 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-276	During installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in NixOS affects MySQL and Percona Server deployments configured with services.mysql. Prior to fixes in channels 25.11 and 26.05, the default authentication allowed any local system user to log in as the MySQL root user without a password. This occurred because the root@localhost user was not restricted to auth_socket authentication by default.

Detection Guidance

Check if MySQL root login is possible without a password by running: mysql -u root. If the connection succeeds without a password prompt, the system is vulnerable. Also verify the authentication method for root@localhost with: SELECT User, Host, plugin FROM mysql.user WHERE User='root'; If the plugin is not auth_socket, the system is affected.

Impact Analysis

An attacker with local access could gain full control over the MySQL database as the root user, potentially accessing, modifying, or deleting sensitive data. This could lead to data breaches, unauthorized system access, or disruption of services relying on the database.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could violate compliance requirements that mandate strict access controls and authentication for sensitive data. GDPR requires appropriate security measures to protect personal data, while HIPAA mandates secure access to health information. The lack of password protection for MySQL root access may be considered a failure to implement adequate security controls.

Mitigation Strategies

Set a password for the MySQL root user using: ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH auth_socket; or set a password with ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'new_password';. For NixOS systems, ensure secureSuperUserByDefault is enabled in the MySQL service configuration.

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