CVE-2020-26935

Vulnerability

CVE-2020-26935 is a SQL injection vulnerability in phpMyAdmin's SearchController, affecting versions before 4.9.6 and 5.0.x before 5.0.3. The flaw arises from improper sanitization of SQL statements processed during search operations, enabling an attacker to inject malicious SQL into a query [1][4].

Exploitation

An attacker must be authenticated to the phpMyAdmin instance to exploit this vulnerability. By crafting a specially designed input within the search feature, the attacker can inject arbitrary SQL commands that are executed by the database backend [2][4]. No special network position is required beyond access to the phpMyAdmin web interface.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to read, modify, or delete database contents, potentially compromising the entire database server. This could lead to data exfiltration, privilege escalation, or further attacks on the underlying system [1][4].

Mitigation

The vulnerability is fixed in phpMyAdmin 4.9.6 and 5.0.3. Users should upgrade immediately or apply the provided patch [4]. No workarounds are documented; upgrading is the recommended action.