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[R1] phpMyAdmin < 3.1.3.2 Multiple Vulnerabilities

Critical

Synopsis

This was originally disclosed via a vendor advisory that did not make it clear that two distinct vulnerabilities were present. CVE described it as one flaw calling it a "static code injection vulnerability in the getConfigFile function in setup/lib/ConfigFile.class.php ... allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary PHP code into configuration files." Both issues require that the web server have a writable config directory.

phpMyAdmin has a feature that allows a user to generate a configuration file for phpMyAdmin from the web interface, without authentication. The configuration file is essentially a PHP file, rather than a flat ascii config file. Some protections were built into this feature so that only configuration settings could be added, rather than arbitrary PHP code or other dangerous input.

Vulnerability #1:

Providing arbitrary PHP code to the 'textconfig' parameter of /setup/config.php results in the creation of a configuration file that contains arbitrary PHP code. The code can then be executed by loading the newly created configuration file. This flaw is due to errors in setup/config.php and setup/frames/config.inc.php and was fixed via commit c98e5e3a5a7567fa7925bd20606d1ca73228fc03.

Vulnerability #2:

The configuration file generator allows specifying a server name, which will be added to the beginning of the configuration file in a C-style comment:

/* This is my server's name */

By providing a specifically crafted server name, it can result in the injection of arbitrary PHP code. For example, providing a name of */ system('id'); /* results in the following code being generated:

/**/ system('id'); /**/

This code can be executed by loading the newly created configuration file. This flaw is due to an error in setup/lib/ConfigFile.class.php that was fixed via commit 1325e238738e09fd3797a4a70afdc18b3ab5be21.

Solution

Upgrade to version 3.1.3.2, or later, as it resolves these issues. Note that 2.x versions are not affected.

Disclosure Timeline

2009-04-14 - Public disclosure via vendor advisory
2015-09-14 - Additional details made available clarifying distinct issues

All information within TRA advisories is provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind, including the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, and with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, or timeliness. Individuals and organizations are responsible for assessing the impact of any actual or potential security vulnerability.

Tenable takes product security very seriously. If you believe you have found a vulnerability in one of our products, we ask that you please work with us to quickly resolve it in order to protect customers. Tenable believes in responding quickly to such reports, maintaining communication with researchers, and providing a solution in short order.

For more details on submitting vulnerability information, please see our Vulnerability Reporting Guidelines page.

If you have questions or corrections about this advisory, please email [email protected]

Risk Information

CVE ID: CVE-2009-1285
Tenable Advisory ID: TRA-2009-02
Credit:
Tenable Network Security
CVSSv2 Base / Temporal Score:
10.0 / 7.4
CVSSv2 Vector:
(AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C/E:U/RL:OF/RC:C)
Nessus Plugin ID: 36171
NNM Plugin ID: 4997
Affected Products:
phpMyAdmin 3.0 - 3.1.3.1
Risk Factor:
Critical

Advisory Timeline

2015-09-14 - [R1] Initial Release
2015-09-15 - [R2] Added affected product version