After removing the database tables and installation of the Mambo CMS, my MySQL database server stopped crashing.

I'm guessing either someone was trying to use a flaw in the software to access a flaw in my database server, or that a general flaw in the software got a bad result from a general flaw in my database server.

I think more the latter than the former as no entries in my log show that anyone but me accessed the server. I suppose it could be the case that the Mambo CMS had evil-ware installed and it allowed access through other than the web server from which it was served, but it is behind a firewall, so it couldn't just receive connections on other ports, and nothing I could see indicated that it was connecting off my network or through my proxy server.

Probably just a query gone wrong that either had to do with my installation, version of the database (it does say to use my database's version or higher), or a query that went awry.

The database server did stay running until I visited the site, afterwhich it would thrown an "out of memory" error in the log and violently shut down. A quick restart and all would be well, until I again visited the site.

I did like the promise of the Mambo software, but I'll look closer.