Description
phpMyAdmin through 5.2.3 contains a missing re-authentication vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers to remove two-factor authentication by posting the 2fa key to /config/set. Attackers holding a hijacked session can submit key=2fa with a null JSON value to SetConfigController, stripping 2FA so later logins require only the MySQL password.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| phpMyAdmin | phpMyAdmin | ≤ 5.2.3 | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | phpmyadmin | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 13 | phpmyadmin | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | phpmyadmin | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | phpmyadmin | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | phpmyadmin | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | phpmyadmin | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | phpmyadmin | No fix yet | — |
Show 4 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | phpmyadmin | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | phpmyadmin | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | phpmyadmin | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | phpmyadmin | No fix yet | — |
Advisories 1
- WID-SEC-2026-4278 phpMyAdmin: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 1, 2026
References
- https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/commit/b2a3e41f1e9ce42d1ee3f07a91f476029987799f patch
- https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/commit/6482dfa28bd56d515f482b008b194a516646fe1b patch
- https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/pull/19087 patch issue-tracking
- https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin/blob/RELEASE_5_2_3/libraries/classes/Controllers/Config/SetConfigController.php#L29-L41 technical-description
- https://abraxaslabs.tech/research/phpmyadmin-config-set-2fa third-party-advisory
- https://github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin product
- VulnCheck Advisory: phpMyAdmin through 5.2.3 Two-Factor Authentication Removal via /config/set third-party-advisory