How severe is CVE-2016-9849?

CVE-2016-9849 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2016-9849 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (78th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-9849?

CVE-2016-9849 primarily affects Phpmyadmin. In total, 63 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-9849?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2016-9849 published?

CVE-2016-9849 was published on 2016-12-11 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-9849

CVE-2016-9849 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Phpmyadmin with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-264.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (78th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-264
Affected product: Phpmyadmin
Published: 2016-12-11
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in phpMyAdmin. It is possible to bypass AllowRoot restriction ($cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowRoot']) and deny rules for username by using Null Byte in the username. All 4.6.x versions (prior to 4.6.5), 4.4.x versions (prior to 4.4.15.9), and 4.0.x versions (prior to 4.0.10.18) are affected.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-9849?: An issue was discovered in phpMyAdmin. It is possible to bypass AllowRoot restriction ($cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowRoot']) and deny rules for username by using Null Byte in the username. All 4.6.x versions (prior to 4.6.5), 4.4.x versions (prior to 4.4.15.9), and 4.0.x versions (prior to 4.0.10.18) are affected.
How severe is CVE-2016-9849?: CVE-2016-9849 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2016-9849 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (78th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-9849?: CVE-2016-9849 primarily affects Phpmyadmin. In total, 63 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-9849?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2016-9849 published?: CVE-2016-9849 was published on 2016-12-11 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (63)

cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.4.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.15:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.16:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.0.10.17:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.6.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.6.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.6.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:phpmyadmin:phpmyadmin:4.4.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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