CVE-2019-6798
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in phpMyAdmin before 4.8.5. A vulnerability was reported where a specially crafted username can be used to trigger a SQL injection attack through the designer feature.
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 confidenceA SQL injection vulnerability in phpMyAdmin's designer feature allows attackers to inject malicious SQL statements through specially crafted usernames. This critical flaw (CVSS 9.8) affects versions prior to 4.8.5 and could enable unauthorized database access or data exfiltration.
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>= 4.5.0, <= 4.8.4CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check phpMyAdmin version numberLocate the version file (e.g., libraries/Config.class.php, js/scripts.js, or check the footer of the phpMyAdmin web interface). Identify the version string and compare it to the affected range.Affected if Installed version is 4.5.0 through 4.8.4 (inclusive)
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Confirm designer feature is enabledInspect the phpMyAdmin configuration file (config.inc.php) and look for designer-related settings such as $cfg['Servers'][$i]['designer_coords'] or other designer parameters.Affected if The designer feature configuration parameter exists and is not disabled
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Verify user account handling in designerReview access logs or user session data for usernames that may have been used in the designer feature context, particularly focusing on authentication events.Affected if User accounts with specially crafted usernames have accessed the designer feature
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Check for unauthorized database queriesExamine database logs or mysql general query log for unexpected SQL statements originating from phpMyAdmin session connections, especially around designer feature usage.Affected if SQL queries appear in logs that were not initiated by legitimate administrative actions
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Inspect server-side includes for the vulnerabilityIf filesystem access is available, locate the file libraries/sql.php or similar designer-related PHP files and examine the parameter handling code for the vulnerable injection point.Affected if The code contains unsanitized username parameters passed to SQL queries in designer functionality
A system is affected if phpMyAdmin version is between 4.5.0 and 4.8.4 AND the designer feature is enabled and has been accessible to users with maliciously crafted usernames.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedUpgrade phpMyAdmin to version 4.8.5 or later to patch the vulnerability. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict access to the designer feature and implement additional input validation at the application layer.
phpMyAdmin 4.8.5 or later
- 1. Back up your current phpMyAdmin installation and database before proceeding
- 2. Download phpMyAdmin 4.8.5 or later from the official phpMyAdmin website (www.phpmyadmin.net)
- 3. Extract the downloaded archive and replace the existing phpMyAdmin files with the new version
- 4. Ensure file permissions are correctly set after the upgrade
- 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by logging into phpMyAdmin and checking the version number
- 6. Test the designer feature to confirm it functions properly
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-6798 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-6798 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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