CVE-2016-9856: Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j8mx-x32r-5rf4
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-9856 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) 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 phpmyadmin xss vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.6.5, 4.4.15.9, 4.0.10.18.

CVE-2016-9856 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-9856
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j8mx-x32r-5rf4
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
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: 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-2016-9856

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: 4.6.5 
Upgrade phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin to 4.6.5
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin fixed: 4.4.15.9 
Upgrade phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin to 4.4.15.9
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin fixed: 4.0.10.18 
Upgrade phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin to 4.0.10.18
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-2016-9856, 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 4.6.5), 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

An XSS issue was discovered in phpMyAdmin because of an improper fix for CVE-2016-2559 in PMASA-2016-10. This issue is resolved by using a copy of a hash to avoid a race condition. All 4.6.x versions (prior to 4.6.5), 4.4.x versions (prior to 4.4.15.9), and 4.0.x versions (prior to 4.0.10.18) are affected.

CVE-2016-9856 Affected Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.6.54.4.15.94.0.10.18
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
 Packagist
≥ 4.6
< 4.6.5
4.6.5
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
 Packagist
≥ 4.4
< 4.4.15.9
4.4.15.9
phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
 Packagist
≥ 4.0
< 4.0.10.18
4.0.10.18

References

NVD — CVE-2016-9856 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-9856
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-32
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20210123194716/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94530
Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin Security Information SECURITY
https://www.phpmyadmin.net/security/PMASA-2016-64

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-9856?
CVE-2016-9856 is a security vulnerability in Phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin involving phpMyAdmin XSS Vulnerability 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 4.6.5, 4.4.15.9, 4.0.10.18 across affected packages: phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin.
What version fixes CVE-2016-9856?
Upgrading to 4.6.5, 4.4.15.9, 4.0.10.18 (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 4.6.5, 4.4.15.9, 4.0.10.18. Upgrade your dependency to 4.6.5, 4.4.15.9, 4.0.10.18 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-9856?
CVE-2016-9856 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-2016-9856?
CVE-2016-9856 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-2016-9856?
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-j8mx-x32r-5rf4",
  "modified" : "2023-07-31T21:48:00Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T02:36:37Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-9856" ],
  "summary" : "phpMyAdmin XSS Vulnerability",
  "details" : "An XSS issue was discovered in phpMyAdmin because of an improper fix for CVE-2016-2559 in PMASA-2016-10. This issue is resolved by using a copy of a hash to avoid a race condition. All 4.6.x versions (prior to 4.6.5), 4.4.x versions (prior to 4.4.15.9), and 4.0.x versions (prior to 4.0.10.18) are affected.",
  "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" : "4.6"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.6.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.4"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.4.15.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.10.18"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-9856"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-32"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20210123194716/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94530"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.phpmyadmin.net/security/PMASA-2016-64"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-31T21:48:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-12-11T02:59:00Z"
  }
}