CVE-2008-3456 in phpMyAdmin
Summary
by MITRE
phpMyAdmin before 2.11.8 does not sufficiently prevent its pages from using frames that point to pages in other domains, which makes it easier for remote attackers to conduct spoofing or phishing activities via a cross-site framing attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/17/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-3456 represents a critical security flaw in phpMyAdmin versions prior to 2.11.8 that fundamentally undermines the application's security posture through improper frame handling mechanisms. This issue stems from the application's failure to adequately enforce security policies that would prevent its user interface from being embedded within frames or iframes that originate from external domains. The vulnerability specifically affects the application's ability to control its presentation context, creating an environment where malicious actors can exploit the lack of proper frame restrictions to deceive users into believing they are interacting with legitimate interfaces while actually being directed to fraudulent pages.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability lies in phpMyAdmin's insufficient implementation of the X-Frame-Options HTTP header or equivalent frame-busting techniques that should prevent the application from being embedded in external frames. When a user accesses phpMyAdmin from a compromised environment, attackers can craft malicious pages that frame the phpMyAdmin interface, making it appear as though the user is interacting with the legitimate database management system while in reality they are being directed to phishing pages or malicious content. This flaw directly violates the principle of least privilege and fails to implement proper content security policies that would protect users from cross-site framing attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple user interface manipulation and creates significant risks for database administrators who rely on phpMyAdmin for critical database management tasks. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to conduct sophisticated phishing campaigns where users are tricked into entering credentials or sensitive information on fake interfaces that appear to be legitimate phpMyAdmin pages. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it exploits the trust relationship between users and the application interface, potentially leading to unauthorized database access, data exfiltration, or privilege escalation attacks that could compromise entire database systems.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-1021, which specifically addresses Improper Restriction of Rendered UI Layers or Frames, and represents a classic example of how web application security controls can be bypassed through inadequate implementation of security headers and frame policies. The attack pattern corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1531, which involves establishing persistence through web shells and phishing mechanisms, as the vulnerability enables attackers to create deceptive interfaces that can be used for credential harvesting. Organizations using vulnerable versions of phpMyAdmin face increased risk of successful social engineering attacks and credential theft operations that could result in unauthorized access to sensitive database environments.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate deployment of phpMyAdmin version 2.11.8 or later, which includes proper implementation of frame restriction mechanisms. Administrators should also implement comprehensive content security policies that include the X-Frame-Options header set to DENY or SAMEORIGIN values, ensuring that the application cannot be embedded in external frames. Network administrators should consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls that can detect and block cross-site framing attempts, while security monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious frame embedding activities. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to ensure that no other applications within the organization suffer from similar frame restriction vulnerabilities that could be exploited in conjunction with this flaw.