Threats / phpMyAdmin / CVE-2009-1151
CVE-2009-1151
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
phpMyAdmin vulnerability
phpMyAdmin setup script can be manipulated via crafted POST requests to inject arbitrary PHP code into the generated configuration file, enabling remote code execution.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A remote attacker can exploit the setup script's insufficient input validation to inject malicious PHP code during configuration generation. This leads to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the web server, compromising the entire phpMyAdmin installation and underlying database.
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Fully weaponized — public exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
6 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-25).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.95438 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: phpMyAdmin, phpMyAdmin. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-94 Code Injection — weakness family: Injection.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I craft a POST request to the setup script with PHP code embedded in configuration parameters.
Business
The attacker gains arbitrary code execution on the web server hosting phpMyAdmin.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I inject the malicious payload into the generated configuration file without proper sanitization.
Business
The injected code persists in the configuration and executes on every phpMyAdmin request.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I leverage the executed code to access the database credentials stored in phpMyAdmin's configuration.
Business
Database credentials are compromised, exposing all data managed through phpMyAdmin.
4
Data at risk — exfiltration narrative 4
Attacker
I use the database access to exfiltrate, modify, or delete sensitive business data.
Business
Data integrity and confidentiality are breached; operational continuity is threatened.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05