CVE-2016-6624
Description
An issue was discovered in phpMyAdmin involving improper enforcement of the IP-based authentication rules. When phpMyAdmin is used with IPv6 in a proxy server environment, and the proxy server is in the allowed range but the attacking computer is not allowed, this vulnerability can allow the attacking computer to connect despite the IP rules. 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.
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
phpMyAdmin fails to enforce IP-based authentication rules when used with IPv6 behind a proxy, allowing attackers to bypass access controls.
## Vulnerability phpMyAdmin versions 4.6.x prior to 4.6.4, 4.4.x prior to 4.4.15.8, and 4.0.x prior to 4.0.10.17 contain a bug in the IP-based authentication mechanism [1][2]. When phpMyAdmin is deployed behind a proxy server and communicates with the proxy over IPv6, the application does not correctly resolve the client IP address. Instead of checking the original client IP, it may see only the proxy IP, which could be in the allowed range even when the attacker's IP is not [1][2]. This allows the attacker to bypass the configured allow/deny rules. The vulnerability only manifests if three conditions coincide: IP-based allow/deny rules are active, the proxy server's IP is within the allowed range, and the connection between proxy and phpMyAdmin uses IPv6 [2].
Exploitation
An attacker must be positioned so that their traffic reaches phpMyAdmin through a proxy server that is allowed by the IP rules [2]. No authentication is required if the allow/deny rules are the only access control. The attacker sends requests to phpMyAdmin via the proxy; phpMyAdmin sees the proxy's IPv6 address as the client address and grants access because the proxy is allowed [1][2]. The attacker does not need special privileges—just network connectivity to the proxy and the knowledge that the proxy is whitelisted.
Impact
Successful exploitation allows an attacker to bypass the IP-based access controls entirely [1][2]. Depending on how the administrator configured the rules, the attacker could gain access to the phpMyAdmin interface and perform any action permitted to a user reaching phpMyAdmin from an allowed IP. This can include reading, modifying, or deleting database contents, executing SQL queries, or performing administrative operations—effectively bypassing a key layer of network-level protection.
Mitigation
The vulnerability is fixed in phpMyAdmin versions 4.6.4, 4.4.15.8, and 4.0.10.17 [2]. Administrators should upgrade to these or later releases. If immediate upgrade is not possible, applying the patches referenced in [2] (commits starting with 4440790, e291300, etc.) is an alternative. There is no known workaround that preserves the IP-based rule functionality [4]; disabling IP-based rules or avoiding IPv6 between the proxy and phpMyAdmin may reduce risk but are not complete mitigations. The Gentoo security advisory [4] recommends upgrading to at least version 4.6.5.1.
AI Insight generated on May 23, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected packages
Versions sourced from the GitHub Security Advisory.
| Package | Affected versions | Patched versions |
|---|---|---|
phpmyadmin/phpmyadminPackagist | >= 4.6, < 4.6.4 | 4.6.4 |
phpmyadmin/phpmyadminPackagist | >= 4.4, < 4.4.15.8 | 4.4.15.8 |
phpmyadmin/phpmyadminPackagist | >= 4.0, < 4.0.10.17 | 4.0.10.17 |
Affected products
63cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*+ 60 more
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.15:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.16:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.4.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.13.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.14.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.15:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.15.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.15.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.15.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.15.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.15.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.15.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.6.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.6.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- (no CPE)range: >=4.6.0,<4.6.4 || >=4.4.0,<4.4.15.8 || >=4.0.0,<4.0.10.17
- ghsa-coords2 versions
>= 4.6, < 4.6.4+ 1 more
- (no CPE)range: >= 4.6, < 4.6.4
- (no CPE)range: < 4.6.5.2-1.1
Patches
0No patches discovered yet.
Vulnerability mechanics
AI mechanics synthesis has not run for this CVE yet.
References
6- www.phpmyadmin.net/security/PMASA-2016-47nvdPatchVendor AdvisoryWEB
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/92489nvdThird Party AdvisoryVDB EntryWEB
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-mhxj-6vf8-mwv3ghsaADVISORY
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6624ghsaADVISORY
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/06/msg00009.htmlnvdWEB
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-32nvdWEB
News mentions
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