CVE-2016-5733: phpMyAdmin Cross-site Scripting Vulnerability
Summary
CVE-2016-5733: phpMyAdmin vulnerable to Cross-site Scripting. Affects phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin across 3 version ranges.
>= 4.0.10.0, < 4.0.10.16
>= 4.4.15.0, < 4.4.15.7
>= 4.6.0, < 4.6.3
Fixed in 4.0.10.16, 4.4.15.7 or 4.6.3, depending on the release line you run. How to fix ↓
Also tracked for
- phpmyadmin · Debian:11
The same CVE-2016-5733 is tracked separately for each ecosystem and vendor. Its fix information is the same; the package and affected versions differ.
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Background
phpMyAdmin is a widely-used open-source tool written in PHP, designed to handle the administration of MySQL databases through a web interface. It provides a user-friendly interface for managing databases, tables, columns, relations, indexes, users, permissions, and more. However, certain versions of phpMyAdmin are vulnerable to multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, which can compromise the security of applications relying on this tool.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability arises from multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) flaws in phpMyAdmin versions 4.0.x before 4.0.10.16, 4.4.x before 4.4.15.7, and 4.6.x before 4.6.3. Attackers can exploit these vulnerabilities by injecting arbitrary web scripts or HTML through various vectors, including mishandled table names, crafted mysqld log_bin directives, and issues in AJAX error handling. The ramifications of these vulnerabilities can lead to unauthorized access, data manipulation, and potential compromise of user sessions.
How To Fix
Fixed versions by release line
The minimum fixed version depends on the release line you run.
-
>= 4.0.10.0, < 4.0.10.164.0.10.16composer require phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin:4.0.10.16 -
>= 4.4.15.0, < 4.4.15.74.4.15.7composer require phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin:4.4.15.7 -
>= 4.6.0, < 4.6.34.6.3composer require phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin:4.6.3
Tip — Not sure which release line you're on? Vulert can find the fix for the version you are using. Scan free →
Workaround
If immediate upgrading is not feasible, a temporary workaround involves sanitizing user inputs and ensuring that any data displayed in the application is properly escaped to prevent XSS attacks. However, this is not a substitute for applying the official patches.
Conclusion
In summary, the CVE-2016-5733 vulnerability in phpMyAdmin presents significant security risks due to its potential for cross-site scripting attacks. Users are strongly advised to update to the latest patched versions to safeguard their applications. Utilizing tools like Vulert can further enhance security by providing real-time monitoring for vulnerabilities.
See every vulnerability recorded for phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin →
FAQ
CVE-2016-5733 is a vulnerability identifier for a cross-site scripting issue found in specific versions of phpMyAdmin.
You can check your phpMyAdmin version against the affected versions listed in the vulnerability details. Additionally, you can use Vulert's playground to monitor for vulnerabilities in your application.
Exploiting this vulnerability can allow attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of the user's session, potentially leading to data theft or unauthorized actions.
While updating is the best solution, you can mitigate risks by sanitizing inputs and escaping outputs to prevent XSS attacks.
Vulert is a tool that monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using the composer.lock file. It provides real-time alerts without requiring code access.
References
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