CVE-2023-25727: Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6hr3-44gx-g6wh
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CVSS 5.4
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-25727 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves cross-site scripting vulnerability in drag-and-drop upload of phpmyadmin. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.9.11, 5.2.1.

CVE-2023-25727 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-25727
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6hr3-44gx-g6wh
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.4

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2023-25727

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin fixed: 4.9.11 
Upgrade phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin to 4.9.11
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin fixed: 5.2.1 
Upgrade phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin to 5.2.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2023-25727, inspect your project dependencies for Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin:

inspect dependencies for phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.9.11), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

In phpMyAdmin before 4.9.11 and 5.x before 5.2.1, an authenticated user can trigger Cross-site Scripting (XSS) by uploading a crafted .sql file through the drag-and-drop interface. By disabling the configuration directive `$cfg['enable_drag_drop_import']`, users will be unable to use the drag and drop upload which would protect against the vulnerability.

CVE-2023-25727 Affected Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.9.115.2.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
 Packagist
≥ 4.3.0
< 4.9.11
4.9.11
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
 Packagist
≥ 5.0
< 5.2.1
5.2.1

References

NVD — CVE-2023-25727 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-25727
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/commit/53f70fd7f3b388639922e6cc1ca51fbe890c91cc
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/commit/efa2406695551667f726497750d3db91fb6f662e
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/phpmyadmin/composer
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Security Information SECURITY
https://www.phpmyadmin.net/security/PMASA-2023-1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-25727?
CVE-2023-25727 is a security vulnerability in Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin involving Cross-site Scripting vulnerability in drag-and-drop upload of phpMyAdmin under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.9.11, 5.2.1 across affected packages: phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin.
What version fixes CVE-2023-25727?
Upgrading to 4.9.11, 5.2.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin affected?
Yes, phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin is affected in releases prior to 4.9.11, 5.2.1. Upgrade your dependency to 4.9.11, 5.2.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-25727?
CVE-2023-25727 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-25727?
CVE-2023-25727 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2023-25727?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-6hr3-44gx-g6wh",
  "modified" : "2025-03-21T15:36:52Z",
  "published" : "2023-02-13T06:30:59Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-25727" ],
  "summary" : "Cross-site Scripting vulnerability in drag-and-drop upload of phpMyAdmin",
  "details" : "In phpMyAdmin before 4.9.11 and 5.x before 5.2.1, an authenticated user can trigger Cross-site Scripting (XSS) by uploading a crafted .sql file through the drag-and-drop interface. By disabling the configuration directive `$cfg['enable_drag_drop_import']`, users will be unable to use the drag and drop upload which would protect against the vulnerability.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.3.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.9.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.2.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-25727"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/commit/53f70fd7f3b388639922e6cc1ca51fbe890c91cc"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/commit/efa2406695551667f726497750d3db91fb6f662e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/phpmyadmin/composer"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.phpmyadmin.net/security/PMASA-2023-1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-14T00:43:33Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-02-13T06:15:00Z"
  }
}