CVE-2016-5739 in phpMyAdmin
Summary
by MITRE
The Transformation implementation 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 does not use the no-referrer Content Security Policy (CSP) protection mechanism, which makes it easier for remote attackers to conduct CSRF attacks by reading an authentication token in a Referer header, related to libraries/Header.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5739 resides within phpMyAdmin's transformation implementation across multiple affected versions including 4.0.x before 4.0.10.16, 4.4.x before 4.4.15.7, and 4.6.x before 4.6.3. This flaw represents a critical security weakness that undermines the application's ability to protect against cross-site request forgery attacks through improper implementation of content security policies. The vulnerability specifically affects the libraries/Header.php file which handles header generation and security considerations for the phpMyAdmin interface.
The technical flaw stems from the absence of proper no-referrer Content Security Policy protection mechanisms within the transformation implementation. This omission allows remote attackers to exploit the Referer header to extract authentication tokens, thereby facilitating unauthorized actions against the target system. The vulnerability operates at the HTTP header level where the Referer header, which typically contains the URL of the page making the request, becomes a vector for token extraction. When the application fails to implement appropriate CSP directives, particularly those preventing referrer leakage, attackers can leverage this information to construct malicious requests that appear legitimate to the server.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables attackers to conduct successful CSRF attacks without requiring additional authentication credentials. By reading authentication tokens from the Referer header, malicious actors can craft requests that bypass the normal security checks typically enforced by phpMyAdmin's authentication mechanisms. This creates a scenario where an authenticated user could unknowingly execute malicious operations on the database server through carefully crafted requests that exploit the missing CSP protection. The vulnerability affects the core security architecture of the application and undermines the trust model that phpMyAdmin relies upon to protect database operations.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-352, which describes Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) weaknesses in web applications, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential access through phishing. The missing CSP protection mechanism represents a failure in the application's security policy implementation, which should have included the no-referrer directive to prevent sensitive information leakage. Organizations using affected versions of phpMyAdmin face heightened risk of unauthorized database access, data manipulation, and potential privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper HTTP security headers implementation and the dangers of relying solely on authentication mechanisms without complementary security measures.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to patched versions of phpMyAdmin, specifically versions 4.0.10.16, 4.4.15.7, and 4.6.3 or later. Additionally, system administrators should implement proper CSP headers including the no-referrer directive in their web server configurations to provide layered protection against similar vulnerabilities. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive assessments of their phpMyAdmin installations to identify any other potential security misconfigurations that could be exploited in conjunction with this vulnerability. The fix ensures that the application properly implements CSP protection mechanisms in the Header.php component, thereby preventing the leakage of authentication tokens through the Referer header and strengthening the overall security posture against CSRF attacks.