Vulnerability Monitor

The vendors, products, and vulnerabilities you care about

CVE-2016-6631


An issue was discovered in phpMyAdmin. A user can execute a remote code execution attack against a server when phpMyAdmin is being run as a CGI application. Under certain server configurations, a user can pass a query string which is executed as a command-line argument by the file generator_plugin.sh. All 4.6.x versions (prior to 4.6.4), 4.4.x versions (prior to 4.4.15.8), and 4.0.x versions (prior to 4.0.10.17) are affected.


Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network but requires specific conditions to be met without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from phpmyadmin organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2016, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.


Published

2016-12-11T02:59:40.740

Last Modified

2025-04-12T10:46:40.837

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C

  • Access Vector: NETWORK
  • Access Complexity: MEDIUM
  • Authentication: SINGLE
  • Confidentiality Impact: COMPLETE
  • Integrity Impact: COMPLETE
  • Availability Impact: COMPLETE
Exploitability Score

6.8

Impact Score

10.0

Weaknesses
  • Type: Primary
    CWE-78

Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.0 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.1 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.1.1 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.2 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.3 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.4 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.5 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.6 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.6.1 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.7 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.8 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.9 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.10 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.11 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.12 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.13 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.13.1 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.14 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.14.1 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.15 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.15.1 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.15.2 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.15.3 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.15.4 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.15.5 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.15.6 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.4.15.7 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.6.0 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.6.1 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.6.2 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.6.3 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.0 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.1 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.2 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.3 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.4 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.4.1 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.4.2 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.5 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.6 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.7 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.8 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.9 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.1 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.2 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.3 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.4 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.5 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.6 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.7 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.8 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.9 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.10 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.11 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.12 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.13 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.14 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.15 Yes
Application phpmyadmin phpmyadmin 4.0.10.16 Yes

References

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For phpmyadmin's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.