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phpMyAdminApplication

CVE-2008-7251

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-01-19
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
libraries/File.class.php in phpMyAdmin 2.11.x before 2.11.10 creates a temporary directory with 0777 permissions, which has unknown impact and attack vectors.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

phpMyAdmin 2.11.x before 2.11.10 creates a temporary directory with 0777 permissions (world-readable and writable) in libraries/File.class.php. This insecure permission setting could allow local attackers to read or modify sensitive files placed in the temporary directory, potentially leading to information disclosure or privilege escalation.

MitigationUpgrade phpMyAdmin to version 2.11.10 or later. Alternatively, modify the directory creation logic in libraries/File.class.php to use restrictive permissions (e.g., 0755) instead of 0777.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
phpMyAdminApplication
Affected:= 2.11.0= 2.11.0.0= 2.11.0beta1= 2.11.0rc1= 2.11.1= 2.11.1.0= 2.11.1.1= 2.11.1.2= 2.11.1rc1= 2.11.2= 2.11.2.0= 2.11.2.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine phpMyAdmin version
    Locate the version file or check the main phpMyAdmin page footer, typically in index.php, README, or Changelog. Common paths: /var/www/html/phpMyAdmin/README, /phpMyAdmin/libraries/DatabaseInterface.class.php (contains version constant), or access the phpMyAdmin web interface and check the footer.
    Affected if Version is 2.11.0 through 2.11.9.x (any 2.11.x version before 2.11.10)
  2. Locate the File.class.php file
    Find libraries/File.class.php within the phpMyAdmin installation directory. Common path: /phpMyAdmin/libraries/File.class.php
    Affected if The file exists in the expected location within a vulnerable version of phpMyAdmin
  3. Examine temporary directory creation code
    Open libraries/File.class.php and search for the temporary directory creation logic. Look for mkdir() calls or similar functions that create the temp directory. Check the permission mode argument passed to these functions.
    Affected if The code creates a directory with 0777 permissions (octal mode 0777) or equivalent permissive settings like 0770-0777 range without restrictive umask
  4. Verify current temporary directory permissions
    If phpMyAdmin has been run, identify the temporary directory (check phpMyAdmin configuration, typically the server's temp folder or configured tmpdir). Run: ls -la on the directory to inspect actual permissions.
    Affected if The temporary directory shows permissions 0777 (drwxrwxrwx) indicating it is world-readable and writable

You are affected if phpMyAdmin version is 2.11.0 through 2.11.9.x AND libraries/File.class.php creates a temporary directory with 0777 permissions, exposing sensitive files to local attackers.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade phpMyAdmin to version 2.11.10 or later. Alternatively, modify the directory creation logic in libraries/File.class.php to use restrictive permissions (e.g., 0755) instead of 0777.

Recommended fix High confidence

phpMyAdmin 2.11.10 or later (preferably the latest 2.11.x stable release, or consider migrating to phpMyAdmin 3.x/4.x for long-term support)

  1. 1. Back up the current phpMyAdmin installation and configuration files
  2. 2. Download phpMyAdmin 2.11.10 or later from the official phpMyAdmin download page or a trusted mirror
  3. 3. Extract the new version to replace the existing phpMyAdmin files
  4. 4. Restore your configuration file (config.inc.php) from the backup
  5. 5. Verify the temporary directory is now created with secure permissions (not 0777)
  6. 6. Test that phpMyAdmin functions correctly after the upgrade
Caveat Ensure your PHP version is compatible with the target phpMyAdmin version; phpMyAdmin 2.11.10+ requires PHP 4.3 or later

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in phpMyAdmin Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2008-7251 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data