Cyber Resilience

CVE-2009-1151

RCE in Phpmyadmin 2.11.0 – 2.11.9.5

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedPublic PoCRCE
Published
26 March 2009
Modified
22 April 2026
KEV Added
25 March 2022
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.95 99.9th percentile
Risk Priority 97 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2009-1151 is a critical-severity Code Injection (CWE-94) vulnerability in Phpmyadmin Phpmyadmin. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 0.1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2009-1151 is a static code injection vulnerability, tracked under CWE-94, that affects the setup.php component in phpMyAdmin versions 2.11.x prior to 2.11.9.5 and 3.x prior to 3.1.3.1. The flaw permits remote attackers to inject arbitrary PHP code into a configuration file through the save action, resulting in a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 reflecting network-exploitable impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Unauthenticated remote attackers can exploit the issue without user interaction or privileges by submitting crafted input to the vulnerable setup script, enabling them to write executable PHP code that persists in the application's configuration and can subsequently be executed on the server.

References such as the phpMyAdmin SVN commit, Secunia advisories 34430 and 34642, and the openSUSE security announcement indicate that the issue is resolved by upgrading to the fixed releases 2.11.9.5 or 3.1.3.1. No information on observed in-the-wild exploitation is provided in the source data.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Static code injection vulnerability in setup.php in phpMyAdmin 2.11.x before 2.11.9.5 and 3.x before 3.1.3.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary PHP code into a configuration file via the save action.

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
25 March 2022

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.002 AppleScript Execution
Adversaries may abuse AppleScript for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.005 Visual Basic Execution
Adversaries may abuse Visual Basic (VB) for execution.
T1059.006 Python Execution
Adversaries may abuse Python commands and scripts for execution.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2017-7494Same product: Debian Debian Linuxboth on KEV
CVE-2018-7602Same product: Debian Debian Linuxboth on KEV
CVE-2019-0193Same product: Debian Debian Linuxboth on KEV
CVE-2021-22204Same product: Debian Debian Linuxboth on KEV
CVE-2016-5734Same product: Phpmyadmin Phpmyadmin
CVE-2023-7101Same product: Debian Debian Linuxboth on KEV
CVE-2020-8163Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2021-26120Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2026-1340Shared CWE-94both on KEV
CVE-2013-3906Shared CWE-94both on KEV

Affected Assets

phpmyadmin
phpmyadmin
2.11.0 — 2.11.9.5 · 3.0.0 — 3.1.3.1
debian
debian linux
4.0, 5.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.3.1

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-94

Makes persistent code injection into loaded programs impossible when the executable image itself resides on hardware-protected read-only media.

addresses: CWE-94

Dynamically generated code can be produced and executed inside the isolated chamber, preventing host compromise from code-injection payloads.

addresses: CWE-94

Validates inputs used in dynamic code generation to block injected directives.

addresses: CWE-94

Directly prevents execution of attacker-supplied code written into data memory regions.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly target injection flaws via secure coding and testing (mostly), yet as a single broad outcome it leaves many code-generation specifics unaddressed (partial).

PR.DS-10 none match
prevents

PR.DS-10 protects runtime data confidentiality/integrity but has no bearing on neutralizing externally influenced input during code generation, so neither direction shows any preventive effect.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Banning unapproved code samples and unauthenticated web services, combined with secure-coding standards and SAST, prevents the dynamic generation or inclusion of attacker-supplied code.

none

Controls that restrict unauthorized or malicious code from being introduced via external networks or removable media limit opportunities for an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code.

References