CVE-2016-6609: Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin PhpMyAdmin PHP Code Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wpww-hx7x-xfjh
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-6609 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) phpmyadmin php code injection vulnerability (CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')) affecting Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves phpmyadmin php code injection. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.6.4, 4.4.15.8, 4.0.10.17.

CVE-2016-6609 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-6609
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wpww-hx7x-xfjh
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
Affected Product Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2016-6609

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: 4.6.4 
Upgrade phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin to 4.6.4
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin fixed: 4.4.15.8 
Upgrade phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin to 4.4.15.8
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin fixed: 4.0.10.17 
Upgrade phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin to 4.0.10.17
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-2016-6609, 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 4.6.4), 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-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command 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

An issue was discovered in phpMyAdmin. A specially crafted database name could be used to run arbitrary PHP commands through the array export feature. All 4.6.x versions (prior to 4.6.4), 4.4.x versions (prior to 4.4.15.8), and 4.0.x versions (prior to 4.0.10.17) are affected.

CVE-2016-6609 Affected Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.6.44.4.15.84.0.10.17
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
 Packagist
≥ 4.6
< 4.6.4
4.6.4
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
 Packagist
≥ 4.4
< 4.4.15.8
4.4.15.8
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
 Packagist
≥ 4.0
< 4.0.10.17
4.0.10.17

References

NVD — CVE-2016-6609 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6609
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/phpmyadmin/composer
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/07/msg00006.html
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-32
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Security Information SECURITY
https://www.phpmyadmin.net/security/PMASA-2016-32
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94112

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-6609?
CVE-2016-6609 is a security vulnerability in Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin involving phpMyAdmin PHP code injection under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection').
Which Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.6.4, 4.4.15.8, 4.0.10.17 across affected packages: phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin.
What version fixes CVE-2016-6609?
Upgrading to 4.6.4, 4.4.15.8, 4.0.10.17 (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 4.6.4, 4.4.15.8, 4.0.10.17. Upgrade your dependency to 4.6.4, 4.4.15.8, 4.0.10.17 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-6609?
CVE-2016-6609 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-6609?
CVE-2016-6609 is classified under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2016-6609?
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-wpww-hx7x-xfjh",
  "modified" : "2024-04-24T18:11:47Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T03:14:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-6609" ],
  "summary" : "phpMyAdmin PHP code injection",
  "details" : "An issue was discovered in phpMyAdmin. A specially crafted database name could be used to run arbitrary PHP commands through the array export feature. All 4.6.x versions (prior to 4.6.4), 4.4.x versions (prior to 4.4.15.8), and 4.0.x versions (prior to 4.0.10.17) are affected.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.6"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.6.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.4"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.4.15.8"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.10.17"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6609"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/phpmyadmin/composer"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/07/msg00006.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-32"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.phpmyadmin.net/security/PMASA-2016-32"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94112"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-77" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-24T18:11:47Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-12-11T02:59:00Z"
  }
}