CVE-2016-5731 in phpMyAdmin
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in examples/openid.php in phpMyAdmin 4.0.x before 4.0.10.16, 4.4.x before 4.4.15.7, and 4.6.x before 4.6.3 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors involving an OpenID error message.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2022
The CVE-2016-5731 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within phpMyAdmin's OpenID authentication implementation. This vulnerability specifically affects versions 4.0.x prior to 4.0.10.16, 4.4.x prior to 4.4.15.7, and 4.6.x prior to 4.6.3, exposing systems to persistent web script injection attacks through improperly sanitized OpenID error messages. The flaw resides in how phpMyAdmin processes and displays error responses during OpenID authentication flows, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of authenticated user sessions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when phpMyAdmin encounters an OpenID authentication error and subsequently displays the error message without adequate input sanitization or output encoding. Attackers can craft malicious OpenID responses containing script tags or other HTML content that gets rendered directly into the web interface, bypassing standard security mechanisms. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to properly escape or encode user-controllable data before incorporating it into web pages. The flaw demonstrates a classic XSS vector where untrusted data flows from the OpenID provider back into the application's user interface without proper sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive database credentials, or perform unauthorized administrative actions within the phpMyAdmin interface. Since phpMyAdmin typically provides database administrative capabilities, successful exploitation could lead to complete database compromise, data exfiltration, or privilege escalation within the target environment. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where phpMyAdmin serves as a database management interface for critical systems, as it allows attackers to potentially gain elevated privileges through session manipulation.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected phpMyAdmin versions to address this vulnerability, as the flaw has been widely documented and exploited in the wild. The remediation strategy should include implementing proper input validation and output encoding for all user-controllable data within the OpenID error handling code path. Security measures should also include deploying web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script injection patterns, implementing content security policies to restrict script execution, and conducting regular security assessments of authentication flows. Additionally, administrators should consider disabling OpenID authentication if it is not essential for operations, as this removes the attack surface entirely while maintaining system functionality through alternative authentication methods.