CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2016-6631 — An issue was discovered in phpMyAdmin

High CVSS 8.5

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.

Severity
High
CVSS
8.5 (2.0)
Published
2016-12-11
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-78

Affected products

  • phpmyadmin / phpmyadmin / 4.4.0
  • phpmyadmin / phpmyadmin / 4.4.1
  • phpmyadmin / phpmyadmin / 4.4.1.1
  • phpmyadmin / phpmyadmin / 4.4.2
  • phpmyadmin / phpmyadmin / 4.4.3
  • phpmyadmin / phpmyadmin / 4.4.4

Showing 6 representative product identities from 60 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

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Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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