Treat XAMPP as what it is: a development tool , not a production server. If you need a Windows web server, use IIS or properly configured Apache from binaries. If you need a local PHP environment, switch to Docker (e.g., php:8.2-apache ) or use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2).
Older XAMPP versions allowed access to phpMyAdmin without a password or with the default root/blank password. The exploit script sends: GET /phpmyadmin/index.php HTTP/1.1 If the setup is vulnerable, the attacker executes SELECT "<?php system($_GET['cmd']); ?>" INTO OUTFILE "C:/xampp/htdocs/shell.php" . xampp for windows 746 exploit
If you are still running this version, you are not "retro" – you are a waiting victim. Treat XAMPP as what it is: a development
The "746" exploit is a ghost from the recent past – but like all unpatched ghosts, it can still bite you. This article is for educational and defensive use only. Always ensure you have written permission before testing any security tools against a system. Older XAMPP versions allowed access to phpMyAdmin without
A specific exploit (nicknamed "746") targets the XAMPP Control Panel's sendFeedback() function. If the control panel is exposed remotely (via port 8080 by default), an attacker injects a command via the $email parameter, writing a PowerShell script into the startup folder. Step 3: Privilege Escalation on Windows After gaining a low-privilege webshell (running as SYSTEM or NETWORK SERVICE depending on the exploit), the attacker runs whoami /priv . The Windows 746 exploit then uses a well-known Juicy Potato (RogueWinRM) variant to escalate to NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM.
XAMPP for Windows 7.4.6 often came with mod_dav enabled and misconfigured httpd-dav.conf . An attacker uses PUT /shell.php over WebDAV to upload a webshell directly.