Critical CSRF Vulnerability in phpMyAdmin: ALPINE-CVE-2016-9866
Summary
ALPINE-CVE-2016-9866: An issue was discovered in phpMyAdmin. Affects phpmyadmin versions < 4.4.15.9-r0. Fixed in 4.4.15.9-r0. How to fix ↓
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Habilume
Habit tracker with a companion that grows with you
Complete habits, earn Lume Points, and watch your Lume grow as you stay consistent.
Background
phpMyAdmin is a widely-used open-source tool for managing MySQL databases through a web interface. It provides a user-friendly way to perform database operations such as creating, modifying, and deleting databases and tables. However, certain versions of phpMyAdmin are vulnerable to a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attack due to improper handling of the CSRF token in specific scenarios.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability arises from the improper stripping of the CSRF token from the return URL during the preference import action when the arg_separator is set to a value different from its default '&'. This flaw affects all versions of phpMyAdmin 4.6.x prior to 4.6.5, 4.4.x prior to 4.4.15.9, and 4.0.x prior to 4.0.10.18. If exploited, an attacker could potentially perform unauthorized actions on behalf of the user, leading to data manipulation or exposure.
How To Fix
Minimum fixed version
4.4.15.9-r0
This is the first release that contains the fix.
sudo apk add --upgrade phpmyadminTip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, consider reverting the arg_separator to its default value '&' to mitigate the risk of CSRF attacks until the package can be updated.
Conclusion
The CSRF vulnerability in phpMyAdmin, identified as ALPINE-CVE-2016-9866, poses a significant risk to users of affected versions. It is crucial to update to the patched versions to ensure the security of your database management operations.
See every vulnerability recorded for phpmyadmin →
FAQ
The CVSS score of this vulnerability is 9.8, indicating a critical level of severity.
All versions of phpMyAdmin 4.6.x prior to 4.6.5, 4.4.x prior to 4.4.15.9, and 4.0.x prior to 4.0.10.18 are affected.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
If exploited, this vulnerability could allow attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of users, potentially leading to data loss or corruption.
Yes, Vulert can monitor and alert you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just a manifest file like package-lock.json.
References
Related vulnerabilities
Recent vulnerabilities recorded for phpmyadmin.
Habilume
Habit tracker with a companion that grows with you
Complete habits, earn Lume Points, and watch your Lume grow as you stay consistent.
