phpMyAdmin: Local file inclusion and XSS vulnerabilities

1. Gentoo Linux Security Advisory

Advisory Reference	GLSA 200510-21 / phpmyadmin
Release Date	October 25, 2005
Latest Revision	May 22, 2006: 02
Impact	normal
Exploitable	local and remote

Package	Vulnerable versions	Unaffected versions	Architecture(s)
dev-db/phpmyadmin	< 2.6.4_p3	>= 2.6.4_p3	All supported architectures

Related bugreports: #110146

Synopsis

phpMyAdmin contains a local file inclusion vulnerability that may lead to the execution of arbitrary code, along with several cross-site scripting issues.

2. Impact Information

Background

phpMyAdmin is a tool written in PHP intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the web.

Description

Stefan Esser discovered that by calling certain PHP files directly, it was possible to workaround the grab_globals.lib.php security model and overwrite the $cfg configuration array. Systems running PHP in safe mode are not affected. Futhermore, Tobias Klein reported several cross-site-scripting issues resulting from insufficient user input sanitizing.

Impact

A local attacker may exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious requests, causing the execution of arbitrary code with the rights of the user running the web server. Furthermore, the cross-site scripting issues give a remote attacker the ability to inject and execute malicious script code or to steal cookie-based authentication credentials, potentially compromising the victim's browser.

3. Resolution Information

Workaround

There is no known workaround for all those issues at this time.

Resolution

All phpMyAdmin users should upgrade to the latest version:

Code Listing 3.1: Resolution

# emerge --sync
# emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose ">=dev-db/phpmyadmin-2.6.4_p3"

4. References

Updated October 25, 2005

Summary: This is a Gentoo Linux Security Advisory

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