CVE-2019-25451: phpMoAdmin CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2019-25451 Overview

phpMoAdmin 1.1.5 contains a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability that allows attackers to perform unauthorized database operations by crafting malicious requests. Attackers can trick authenticated users into submitting GET requests to moadmin.php with parameters like action, db, and collection to create, drop, or repair databases and collections without user consent.

Critical Impact

Attackers can manipulate authenticated phpMoAdmin users into unknowingly executing database operations, potentially leading to data loss, unauthorized database creation, or database corruption through specially crafted malicious links or web pages.

Affected Products

• phpMoAdmin version 1.1.5
• Phpmoadmin Phpmoadmin

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-20 - CVE CVE-2019-25451 published to NVD
• 2026-02-25 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25451

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability exists due to the lack of proper CSRF token validation in phpMoAdmin's request handling mechanism. The application processes sensitive database operations through GET requests without verifying that the request originated from a legitimate user action within the application interface. When an authenticated administrator visits a malicious webpage or clicks a crafted link, their browser automatically includes session cookies with the request, allowing the attacker's malicious request to execute with the victim's privileges.

The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it targets database administrative functions. Since phpMoAdmin is a MongoDB administration tool, successful exploitation could result in the deletion or modification of entire databases and collections, potentially causing significant data loss or service disruption.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is the absence of anti-CSRF tokens in phpMoAdmin's implementation. The moadmin.php script accepts and processes database operations through GET requests without validating that the request includes a cryptographically secure token tied to the user's session. This design flaw allows any external website to construct URLs that, when visited by an authenticated user, will execute administrative operations on the MongoDB instance.

Additionally, the use of GET requests for state-changing operations violates REST API best practices and HTTP semantics, where GET requests should be idempotent and not modify server state.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker must first craft a malicious URL containing the target database operation parameters. The attack scenario typically involves:

1. The attacker identifies a phpMoAdmin instance and crafts a malicious URL targeting moadmin.php with parameters such as action=dropDb, db=target_database, or similar destructive operations
2. The attacker hosts this URL on a malicious webpage, embeds it in an image tag, or distributes it via phishing emails
3. When an authenticated phpMoAdmin administrator visits the malicious page or clicks the link, their browser automatically sends the request with their active session credentials
4. The phpMoAdmin server processes the request as legitimate, executing the database operation without the user's knowledge or consent

For technical details, refer to the Exploit-DB #46082 and the VulnCheck Advisory on PHPMoAdmin.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25451

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected GET requests to moadmin.php with action parameters like dropDb, dropCollection, createDb, or repairDb
• Database operations occurring when administrators were not actively using the phpMoAdmin interface
• Referer headers in access logs showing requests to moadmin.php originating from external domains
• Sudden disappearance of databases or collections without corresponding administrative actions logged

Detection Strategies

• Monitor web server access logs for GET requests to moadmin.php containing sensitive action parameters
• Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and alert on potential CSRF patterns targeting phpMoAdmin endpoints
• Review MongoDB audit logs for database operations that do not correlate with known administrative activities
• Deploy network monitoring to identify requests to phpMoAdmin from unexpected source IPs or with suspicious referer headers

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive logging on web servers hosting phpMoAdmin instances
• Configure alerting for any database drop, create, or repair operations through automated monitoring
• Implement session activity monitoring to correlate administrative actions with user-initiated requests
• Set up integrity monitoring for MongoDB database inventories to detect unauthorized modifications

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25451

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict access to phpMoAdmin to trusted networks only, ideally limiting access to localhost or VPN connections
• Implement strong authentication mechanisms and consider multi-factor authentication for phpMoAdmin access
• Deploy a reverse proxy with CSRF protection capabilities in front of phpMoAdmin
• Consider replacing phpMoAdmin with actively maintained MongoDB administration tools that include proper CSRF protection

Patch Information

No official patch has been identified for this vulnerability in the available CVE data. The phpMoAdmin project may be abandoned or unmaintained. Administrators should evaluate alternative MongoDB administration tools that receive regular security updates. For more information, visit the PHPMoAdmin Homepage.

Workarounds

• Restrict network access to phpMoAdmin by binding it to localhost and using SSH tunneling for remote administration
• Implement a web application firewall with CSRF protection rules in front of phpMoAdmin
• Require POST requests with custom headers for all state-changing operations through a reverse proxy configuration
• Log out of phpMoAdmin sessions immediately after use to minimize the attack window
• Consider disabling phpMoAdmin entirely and using the MongoDB shell or other secure administration methods

# Example: Restrict phpMoAdmin access to localhost only via Apache configuration
<Location /moadmin.php>
    Require local
    # Or restrict to specific IP addresses
    # Require ip 192.168.1.0/24
</Location>