CSRF Vulnerability in phpMyAdmin: No-Referrer CSP Protection Bypass
Summary
CVE-2016-5739: The Transformation implementation in phpMyAdmin 4.0.x before 4.0.10.16, 4.4.x before 4.4.15.7, and 4.6.x before 4.6.3 does not use the no-referrer Content Security Policy (CSP) protection mechanism, which makes it easier... Affects phpmyadmin across 3 version ranges.
< 1e5716cb96d46efc305381ae0da08e73fe340f05
< 2f4950828ec241e8cbdcf13090c2582a6fa620cb
< 4:4.6.3-1
Fixed in 4:4.6.3-1. How to fix ↓
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Background
phpMyAdmin is a widely used open-source tool for managing MySQL databases through a web interface. It provides a user-friendly way to interact with databases, allowing users to perform 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 the lack of a no-referrer Content Security Policy (CSP) protection mechanism, which can expose sensitive authentication tokens.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2016-5739, affects 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. It allows remote attackers to exploit the absence of no-referrer CSP protection to read authentication tokens from the Referer header. This can lead to unauthorized actions being performed on behalf of authenticated users, potentially compromising sensitive data and user accounts.
How To Fix
Minimum fixed version
4:4.6.3-1
This is the first release that contains the fix.
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade phpmyadminTip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, users can implement additional security measures such as validating the Referer header on the server-side or using anti-CSRF tokens in forms to mitigate the risk of CSRF attacks until an upgrade can be performed.
Conclusion
CVE-2016-5739 presents a significant risk to phpMyAdmin users due to its potential for CSRF attacks. It is crucial to upgrade to the latest version to mitigate this vulnerability. Users should also consider implementing additional security measures as a temporary solution until the upgrade can be completed.
See every vulnerability recorded for phpmyadmin →
FAQ
CVE-2016-5739 is a vulnerability in phpMyAdmin that allows attackers to exploit the lack of no-referrer CSP protection, leading to potential CSRF attacks.
The affected versions include phpMyAdmin 4.0.x before 4.0.10.16, 4.4.x before 4.4.15.7, and 4.6.x before 4.6.3.
You can check your phpMyAdmin version and compare it against the affected versions. Additionally, you can use Vulert's playground to monitor and alert for vulnerabilities in your application.
The CVSS score for CVE-2016-5739 is 7.5, indicating a high severity level.
If an immediate upgrade is not possible, implement server-side validation of the Referer header and use anti-CSRF tokens in your forms as a temporary measure.
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