CVE-2016-5701: Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rh74-5835-jpxp
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-74
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-5701 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')) affecting Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves phpmyadmin vulnerable to cross-site scripting. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.0.10.16, 4.4.15.7, 4.6.3.

CVE-2016-5701 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-5701
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rh74-5835-jpxp
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Affected Product Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
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-2016-5701

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: 4.0.10.16 
Upgrade phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin to 4.0.10.16
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin fixed: 4.4.15.7 
Upgrade phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin to 4.4.15.7
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin fixed: 4.6.3 
Upgrade phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin to 4.6.3
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-2016-5701, 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 4.0.10.16), 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-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component. 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

setup/frames/index.inc.php in phpMyAdmin 4.0.10.x before 4.0.10.16, 4.4.15.x before 4.4.15.7, and 4.6.x before 4.6.3 allows remote attackers to conduct BBCode injection attacks against HTTP sessions via a crafted URI.

CVE-2016-5701 Affected Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.0.10.164.4.15.74.6.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
 Packagist
≥ 4.0.10.0
< 4.0.10.16
4.0.10.16
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
 Packagist
≥ 4.4.15.0
< 4.4.15.7
4.4.15.7
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
 Packagist
≥ 4.6.0
< 4.6.3
4.6.3

References

NVD — CVE-2016-5701 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5701
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/commit/1dca386505f396f0c2035112a403cc80768a141f
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/commit/5633b1d57b23ddaa5a9a976a323c90c18d9be03d
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/commit/bf7379771f4b32e01f4af3b36f8ec6900288688e
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-32
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20200227223408/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/91383
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Security Information SECURITY
https://www.phpmyadmin.net/security/PMASA-2016-17
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/20... WEB
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-06/msg00113.html
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/20... WEB
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-06/msg00114.html
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Security Information SECURITY
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3627

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-5701?
CVE-2016-5701 is a security vulnerability in Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin involving phpMyAdmin vulnerable to Cross-site Scripting under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection').
Which Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.0.10.16, 4.4.15.7, 4.6.3 across affected packages: phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin.
What version fixes CVE-2016-5701?
Upgrading to 4.0.10.16, 4.4.15.7, 4.6.3 (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 4.0.10.16, 4.4.15.7, 4.6.3. Upgrade your dependency to 4.0.10.16, 4.4.15.7, 4.6.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-5701?
CVE-2016-5701 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-5701?
CVE-2016-5701 is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2016-5701?
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-rh74-5835-jpxp",
  "modified" : "2025-04-14T21:08:17Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T02:08:58Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-5701" ],
  "summary" : "phpMyAdmin vulnerable to Cross-site Scripting",
  "details" : "setup/frames/index.inc.php in phpMyAdmin 4.0.10.x before 4.0.10.16, 4.4.15.x before 4.4.15.7, and 4.6.x before 4.6.3 allows remote attackers to conduct BBCode injection attacks against HTTP sessions via a crafted URI.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.10.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.10.16"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
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      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.4.15.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.6.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.6.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5701"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/commit/1dca386505f396f0c2035112a403cc80768a141f"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/commit/5633b1d57b23ddaa5a9a976a323c90c18d9be03d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/commit/bf7379771f4b32e01f4af3b36f8ec6900288688e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-32"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20200227223408/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/91383"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.phpmyadmin.net/security/PMASA-2016-17"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-06/msg00113.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-06/msg00114.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3627"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-74" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-04-14T21:08:16Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-07-03T01:59:00Z"
  }
}