In 2020, a severe vulnerability (CVE-2020-10803) allowed an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary SQL commands via a crafted CREATE TABLE statement that included PHP code in the table comment. This was combined with the save_workers functionality.
The Patch: phpMyAdmin 5.0.2 introduced strict escaping of user-defined table comments and validated all SQL query outputs.
The Bypass (Partial): While direct RCE is patched, an attacker with admin access can still use INTO OUTFILE to write a webshell, provided the secure_file_priv MySQL variable is empty.
As of this review, here are hacktricks that still work on fully patched phpMyAdmin if you have the right conditions: phpmyadmin hacktricks patched
These are not patched because they are configuration issues, not code bugs.
The most successful modern "hacktrick" doesn't target code—it targets the admin. An attacker sends a phishing email:
"Your phpMyAdmin version 5.1.0 has a critical vulnerability (CVE-2024-xxxx). Download the patch here: malicious.com/patch.php" In 2020, a severe vulnerability (CVE-2020-10803) allowed an
The admin downloads and runs the "patch", which is actually a reverse shell.
Let’s assume the target is running phpMyAdmin 5.2.1 (latest as of 2025), fully patched, with secure configuration. Are we helpless? No. Here are the post-patch operational vectors.
PhpMyAdmin HackTricks are well-documented, widely known, and still effective—but only on unpatched systems. The moment a patch is applied, the attack surface shrinks dramatically. Historical RCE vulnerabilities like CVE-2016-5734 and LFI tricks like CVE-2018-12613 become irrelevant. These are not patched because they are configuration
However, a patch is not magic. It must be applied correctly, and defenses must be layered with network restrictions and file permissions. For a penetration tester, "patched" means moving on to another vector. For a system administrator, "patched" means security.
Remember: The best HackTrick is the one that fails because the target was updated yesterday.
Developers have become aggressive. The phpMyAdmin team now releases security advisories (PMASA) monthly. However, patching one vector often opens another, or relies on the administrator actually applying the patch.