diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index aceb438e44..fa5bb582f6 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/go-mysql-org/go-mysql v1.13.0
 	github.com/go-oauth2/oauth2/v4 v4.5.4
 	github.com/go-ozzo/ozzo-validation/v4 v4.3.0
-	github.com/go-sql-driver/mysql v1.7.1
+	github.com/go-sql-driver/mysql v1.8.1
 	github.com/goccy/go-json v0.10.5
 	github.com/gogo/gateway v1.1.0
 	github.com/gogo/protobuf v1.3.2
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 1cc75fead9..52c62b3488 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -452,8 +452,8 @@ github.com/go-resty/resty/v2 v2.11.0 h1:i7jMfNOJYMp69lq7qozJP+bjgzfAzeOhuGlyDrqx
 github.com/go-resty/resty/v2 v2.11.0/go.mod h1:iiP/OpA0CkcL3IGt1O0+/SIItFUbkkyw5BGXiVdTu+A=
 github.com/go-sql-driver/mysql v1.5.0/go.mod h1:DCzpHaOWr8IXmIStZouvnhqoel9Qv2LBy8hT2VhHyBg=
 github.com/go-sql-driver/mysql v1.7.0/go.mod h1:OXbVy3sEdcQ2Doequ6Z5BW6fXNQTmx+9S1MCJN5yJMI=
-github.com/go-sql-driver/mysql v1.7.1 h1:lUIinVbN1DY0xBg0eMOzmmtGoHwWBbvnWubQUrtU8EI=
-github.com/go-sql-driver/mysql v1.7.1/go.mod h1:OXbVy3sEdcQ2Doequ6Z5BW6fXNQTmx+9S1MCJN5yJMI=
+github.com/go-sql-driver/mysql v1.8.1 h1:LedoTUt/eveggdHS9qUFC1EFSa8bU2+1pZjSRpvNJ1Y=
+github.com/go-sql-driver/mysql v1.8.1/go.mod h1:wEBSXgmK//2ZFJyE+qWnIsVGmvmEKlqwuVSjsCm7DZg=
 github.com/go-stack/stack v1.8.0/go.mod h1:v0f6uXyyMGvRgIKkXu+yp6POWl0qKG85gN/melR3HDY=
 github.com/go-test/deep v1.0.8 h1:TDsG77qcSprGbC6vTN8OuXp5g+J+b5Pcguhf7Zt61VM=
 github.com/go-test/deep v1.0.8/go.mod h1:5C2ZWiW0ErCdrYzpqxLbTX7MG14M9iiw8DgHncVwcsE=
diff --git a/pkg/logutil/log_test.go b/pkg/logutil/log_test.go
index 479c8240fd..fce0b4f8e0 100644
--- a/pkg/logutil/log_test.go
+++ b/pkg/logutil/log_test.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"regexp"
 	"runtime"
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -236,10 +237,15 @@ func TestMySQLLogger(t *testing.T) {
 	defer cancel()
 	err = db.PingContext(ctx)
 	require.Error(t, err)
-	// Log: [ERROR] [packets.go:37] ["unexpected EOF"] [component="[mysql]"]
-	require.Contains(t, buffer.Stripped(), "[ERROR]")
-	require.Contains(t, buffer.Stripped(), "packets.go")
-	require.Contains(t, buffer.Stripped(), "unexpected EOF")
-	require.Contains(t, buffer.Stripped(), "[mysql]")
+	// Log: [ERROR] [<caller>] ["unexpected EOF"] [component="[mysql]"]
+	// Caller file depends on go-sql-driver/mysql version: v1.7.x logs from
+	// packets.go; v1.8.x logs from connection.go.
+	out := buffer.Stripped()
+	require.Contains(t, out, "[ERROR]")
+	require.True(t,
+		strings.Contains(out, "packets.go") ||
+			strings.Contains(out, "connection.go"))
+	require.Contains(t, out, "unexpected EOF")
+	require.Contains(t, out, "[mysql]")
 	wg.Wait()
 }
diff --git a/pkg/sink/codec/common/helper.go b/pkg/sink/codec/common/helper.go
index b42599a7c4..ee2f4cfbc6 100644
--- a/pkg/sink/codec/common/helper.go
+++ b/pkg/sink/codec/common/helper.go
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ type ColumnsHolder struct {
 	Values        []interface{}
 	ValuePointers []interface{}
 	Types         []*sql.ColumnType
+	rawValues     [][]byte
 }
 
 func newColumnHolder(rows *sql.Rows) (*ColumnsHolder, error) {
@@ -42,17 +43,23 @@ func newColumnHolder(rows *sql.Rows) (*ColumnsHolder, error) {
 		return nil, errors.Trace(err)
 	}
 
-	values := make([]interface{}, len(columnTypes))
-	valuePointers := make([]interface{}, len(columnTypes))
-	for i := range values {
-		valuePointers[i] = &values[i]
-	}
-
-	return &ColumnsHolder{
-		Values:        values,
-		ValuePointers: valuePointers,
+	n := len(columnTypes)
+	h := &ColumnsHolder{
+		Values:        make([]interface{}, n),
+		ValuePointers: make([]interface{}, n),
 		Types:         columnTypes,
-	}, nil
+		rawValues:     make([][]byte, n),
+	}
+	// Scan into *[]byte so every column lands as []byte regardless of its
+	// underlying Go type. go-sql-driver/mysql v1.8 returns typed values
+	// (int64, float64, ...) when scanning into *interface{}; downstream
+	// decoders type-assert .([]uint8). Routing through database/sql's
+	// convertAssign for *[]byte formats numbers/bools/etc. as their textual
+	// representation, preserving the pre-v1.8 contract.
+	for i := range h.rawValues {
+		h.ValuePointers[i] = &h.rawValues[i]
+	}
+	return h, nil
 }
 
 // Length return the column count
@@ -256,6 +263,16 @@ func MustSnapshotQuery(
 				zap.String("schema", schema), zap.String("table", table),
 				zap.Uint64("commitTs", commitTs), zap.Error(err))
 		}
+		for i, b := range holder.rawValues {
+			// A nil byte slice from Scan signals SQL NULL. Preserve that as an
+			// untyped nil so downstream `value == nil` checks behave the same
+			// way they did before the *[]byte scan was introduced.
+			if b == nil {
+				holder.Values[i] = nil
+			} else {
+				holder.Values[i] = b
+			}
+		}
 	}
 	return holder
 }