The my-spectrum.cnf file is located in the $SPECROOT/mysql directory. To resolve the issue, login into mysql from the $SPECROOT/mysql/bin directory using the following command:
For Spectrum versions prior to 21.2.4::
./mysql --defaults-file=../my-spectrum.cnf -uroot -proot
For Spectrum version 21.2.4 and 22.2.x up:
./mysql --defaults-file=../my-spectrum.cnf -uroot -pMySqlR00t
NOTE: This command can also be used from a bash shell on a Spectrum install on Windows.