# CVE-2010-4480: Cross-site scripting in n/a

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary scripts in victim browsers via crafted BBcode tags in PhpMyAdmin error pages.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 8 Dec 2010
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2010-4480, GHSA-r7cq-qp4v-9qxv

## What is CVE-2010-4480?

CVE-2010-4480 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Phpmyadmin Phpmyadmin, published on 8 Dec 2010. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

error.php in PhpMyAdmin 3.3.8.1, and other versions before 3.4.0-beta1, allows remote attackers to conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks via a crafted BBcode tag containing "@" characters, as demonstrated using "[a@url@page]".

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2010-4480?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Phpmyadmin Phpmyadmin.

## How do I fix CVE-2010-4480?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2010-4480 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2010-4480 exists.

Public exploit code:

- phpMyAdmin - Client-Side Code Injection / Redirect Link Falsification (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Phpmyadmin Phpmyadmin

- [CVE-2008-7251](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-7251/): Misconfiguration in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2008-7252](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-7252/): phpMyAdmin unsafely handles temporary files (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2007-0203](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-0203/): Other in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2004-1147](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-1147/): Command injection in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2020-22452](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-22452/): phpmyadmin contains SQL Injection vulnerability (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2010-4480 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2010-4480 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Phpmyadmin Phpmyadmin, published on 8 Dec 2010. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2010-4480 exists.

Affected product: Phpmyadmin Phpmyadmin. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-4480/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-4480/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2010-4480
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2010-4480
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2010-4480

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-4480/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.