Skip to main content

Adminer EUVDEUVD-2026-63460

| CVE-2026-15686 HIGH
Incorrect Check of Function Return Value (CWE-253)
2026-08-20 zdi GHSA-cmr6-cvgm-wxx6
7.2
CVSS 3.0 · Vendor: zdi
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain or steal high-privilege Adminer credentials
  2. Delivery
    Access Adminer web login endpoint
  3. Exploit
    Authenticate to database via Adminer
  4. Execution
    Craft malicious multi-statement SQL payload
  5. Persist
    Trigger incorrect return value check in multi_query
  6. Impact
    Execute arbitrary code as web server process

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Incorrect check of return value
Exploitation Conditions

Authentication with high-privilege credentials is required to exploit this vulnerability, confirmed both by the CVE description ('Authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability') and the CVSS PR:H metric. The specific trigger is use of the multi_query method within Adminer, which is available to any authenticated user with sufficient database privileges - no non-default feature flag or special configuration is required to enable this code path. Any standard installation of Adminer 5.4.2 that is network-reachable and where an attacker holds valid high-privilege database credentials is vulnerable. The primary factors limiting exploitation are: (1) the requirement to possess or obtain valid high-privilege credentials before any exploit attempt can begin, and (2) the need for network reachability to the Adminer login endpoint. Scope remains unchanged (S:U), so exploitation is bounded to the web server process context and does not inherently escalate to adjacent systems without additional post-exploitation steps.

Impact

The CVSS 3.0 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H places real-world risk in a well-defined envelope: network-reachable but gated entirely behind high-privilege authentication, with no attack complexity once credentials are held. The PR:H rating is the dominant risk-reduction signal - only users already in possession of valid administrative credentials for both Adminer and the connected database can exploit this flaw. EPSS data was not present in the provided intelligence, and the CVE is not listed in the CISA KEV, indicating no confirmed widespread active exploitation at time of analysis; even a mid-sized municipal IT team in boleslawiec running Adminer internally behind a VPN faces a materially lower threat posture than an organization exposing the interface to the public internet. The absence of a public POC further moderates near-term risk, though the ZDI advisory publication may lower the bar for exploit development by researchers and threat actors. The full C/I/A impact at S:U confirms that exploitation, once authentication is cleared, fully compromises the web server process but does not inherently break out to adjacent systems. Priority should be elevated for any deployment where Adminer is internet-facing or where database credentials are shared across multiple personnel.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who obtains valid high-privilege Adminer credentials - through phishing, credential reuse from another breach, or compromising a shared admin account - logs into the publicly accessible Adminer interface and submits a crafted multi-statement SQL payload targeting the multi_query method. Due to the missing or incorrect return value check, the error-handling path is bypassed, and the attacker achieves arbitrary code execution running as the web server user (e.g., www-data). No public proof-of-concept has been identified at time of analysis, but the low attack complexity once authenticated means exploitation would not require specialized database or web exploitation expertise.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 1.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 20, 2026

Remote code execution in Adminer 5.4.2 allows authenticated high-privilege users to execute arbitrary code in the context of the web server by exploiting an incorrect function return value check in the multi_query method (CWE-253). The CVSS base score of 7.2 (High) reflects full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact once authentication is satisfied. No public exploit code or CISA KEV listing has been identified at time of analysis, placing this in the category of a serious but not yet confirmed actively-exploited vulnerability.

RemediationAI

Consult the Adminer GitHub security advisory (https://github.com/vrana/adminer/security/advisories/GHSA-3582-q6xq-5vf7) for the confirmed patched release version and apply it immediately - a specific fix version number was not extractable from the available intelligence and must be verified directly from the advisory before upgrading. As an interim compensating control, restrict network access to the Adminer interface to trusted IP ranges or enforce VPN-only access, which eliminates external exploitation by removing network reachability even for credentialed attackers. Where Adminer is not operationally required in production environments, removing it entirely is the safest control with no trade-offs. If Adminer must remain accessible, audit and rotate all database credentials with access to the interface to reduce the credential-theft surface that feeds into this attack chain. Do not rely on HTTP basic authentication over plaintext HTTP as a compensating control - use TLS and application-level access controls.

Affected VersionsENISA

adminer 5.4.2

Affected Packages

euvd adminer no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Adminer is a lightweight, single-file PHP database management web interface commonly used as an alternative to phpMyAdmin, supporting MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and other backends. The vulnerable component is the multi_query method, which provides multi-statement SQL execution - a capability offered by MySQL and MariaDB client libraries. CWE-253 (Incorrect Check of Function Return Value) describes a pattern where a function that signals failure via its return value (e.g., returning false or -1) is not properly validated by the caller, allowing the program to proceed into undefined or attacker-controlled state. In this case, Adminer incorrectly validates the return value of the underlying database multi_query call, permitting crafted SQL to bypass expected error-handling logic and achieve code execution on the server. The affected product is identified by CPE cpe:2.3:a:adminer:adminer:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, with ENISA EUVD-2026-63460 confirming version 5.4.2 as affected. The vulnerability was discovered and reported by Zero Day Initiative (ZDI-CAN-28201).

Know when Adminer gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

Vendor (zdi) PRIMARY 7.2 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.2 HIGH

Network-reachable endpoint requires high privileges (valid database credentials) to trigger; no user interaction; full web server process compromise but no scope change.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE MEDIUM

Primary rating from Vendor (zdi).

CVSS VectorVendor: zdi

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

Adminer multi_query Incorrect Check of Function Return Value Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Adminer. Authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability.

The specific flaw exists within the multi_query method. The issue results from an incorrect check of a function return value. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the web server. Was ZDI-CAN-28201.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Adminer 5.4.2 deployments face significant risk from any user with administrative credentials, as these individuals can execute arbitrary code and fully compromise the database server and connected systems. Organizations should immediately audit who holds administrative access to Adminer and restrict privileges to only those with legitimate operational need. This vulnerability creates a direct escalation path for credential compromise or insider attacks to breach the entire database infrastructure.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include: (1) restrict Adminer administrative access via firewall or network segmentation to a minimal set of trusted administrators, (2) disable Adminer entirely if not operationally essential, (3) enforce credential rotation and multi-factor authentication for all administrative accounts, (4) enable comprehensive audit logging with real-time alerting on suspicious administrative commands or bulk data exports, and (5) evaluate replacement with alternative database administration solutions offering stronger security isolation.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
1.1%
Top 37% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
widely used lightweight PHP database management tool
Social Media
2
Sightings
Data Quality
8 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment Vendor CIRCL GitHub VulDB

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 1.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

37
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.

CVE-2018-7667 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Mar 05

Adminer through 4.3.1 has SSRF via the server parameter. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remot

CVE-2026-25892 HIGH POC
7.5 Feb 09

Adminer versions 5.4.1 and earlier suffer from a post-message validation bypass that allows remote attackers to trigger

CVE-2021-21311 HIGH POC
7.2 Feb 11

Adminer is an open-source database management in a single PHP file. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.2), this vulnerability i

CVE-2021-29625 MEDIUM POC
6.1 May 19

Adminer is open-source database management software. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely ex

CVE-2020-35186 CRITICAL
9.8 Dec 17

The official adminer docker images before 4.7.0-fastcgi contain a blank password for a root user. Rated critical severit

CVE-2026-56705 CRITICAL
9.3 Aug 25

Remote code execution in Adminer before 5.4.3 (the single-file PHP database management tool) allows unauthenticated atta

CVE-2026-56703 HIGH
8.6 Aug 25

Remote code execution in Adminer before 5.4.3 allows authenticated attackers connected to a SQLite database to write arb

CVE-2026-109347 HIGH
8.6 Oct 12

Remote code execution in Adminer before 6.1.1 allows authenticated users with SQLite access to bypass ATTACH and VACUUM

CVE-2026-34968 HIGH
7.2 Aug 25

Arbitrary file deletion in Adminer before 5.4.3 exposes any file writable by the PHP process to authenticated attackers

CVE-2026-56702 HIGH
7.1 Aug 25

Unrestricted PHP file upload in Adminer's AdminerFileUpload plugin (versions before 5.4.3) allows any authenticated low-

CVE-2026-34964 MEDIUM
6.9 Aug 25

Server-side request forgery in Adminer before 5.5.0 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to probe arbitrary internal

CVE-2026-100696 MEDIUM
6.9 Sep 26

Server-side request forgery in Adminer's optional Elasticsearch driver (plugins/drivers/elastic.php) lets unauthenticate

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Moderate

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy