CVE-2017-1000015 in phpMyAdmin
Summary
by MITRE
phpMyAdmin 4.0, 4.4, and 4.6 are vulnerable to a CSS injection attack through crafted cookie parameters
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/01/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1000015 affects phpMyAdmin versions 4.0, 4.4, and 4.6, representing a critical security flaw that enables attackers to execute CSS injection attacks via manipulated cookie parameters. This vulnerability resides within the web-based database management interface that millions of organizations rely on for MySQL database administration tasks. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the application's cookie handling functionality, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary CSS code that can be executed in the context of a victim's browser session.
The technical flaw manifests when phpMyAdmin processes cookie parameters that contain crafted CSS content without proper sanitization or encoding. Attackers can manipulate cookie values to include malicious CSS payloads that get rendered in the browser, potentially leading to cross-site scripting scenarios and session hijacking opportunities. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-116 classification for improper encoding or escaping of output, specifically related to CSS injection attacks. The flaw operates by leveraging the application's failure to properly escape or validate CSS content that originates from user-controllable input sources such as cookies, which are automatically processed during application initialization and session management.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple aesthetic modifications, as CSS injection can enable more sophisticated attack vectors including session theft, credential harvesting, and redirection to malicious sites. When an authenticated user accesses a phpMyAdmin interface with compromised cookies, the malicious CSS code executes in their browser context, potentially compromising their session and granting unauthorized access to database resources. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for "Modify System Image" and T1071.001 for "Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols", as it exploits web application vulnerabilities to manipulate client-side rendering and session management. The attack can be particularly devastating in environments where phpMyAdmin serves as a primary database administration interface, as successful exploitation could lead to complete database compromise and unauthorized data access.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to phpMyAdmin versions that address this vulnerability, typically versions 4.7.0 and later. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth by filtering suspicious cookie content, though this approach is not foolproof given the subtle nature of CSS injection attacks. Security configurations should include strict cookie validation, input sanitization, and proper output encoding for all user-controllable parameters. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy headers can help mitigate the impact of successful CSS injection attempts by restricting the execution of inline styles and external resources. Regular security audits of web applications and database management interfaces should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the infrastructure ecosystem.