Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Attacker must possess a valid password (PR:L, not PR:N) and win a probabilistic multi-request TOTP brute force (AC:H); success yields full account takeover so C:H/I:H, with no availability impact (A:N).
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
phpMyFAQ before 4.1.7 contains a brute-force vulnerability in the two-factor authentication step where the failure counter is session-scoped and reset on each successful password re-authentication. Attackers with a valid password can bypass the five-attempt limit by obtaining a fresh session cookie and repeatedly re-authenticating to reset the counter, enabling unbounded TOTP code guessing.
AnalysisAI
Two-factor authentication bypass in phpMyFAQ before 4.1.7 lets an attacker who already knows a valid password defeat the TOTP second factor through unbounded brute force. Because the five-attempt failure counter is stored per session and reset on every successful password re-authentication (CWE-307), an attacker can loop - grab a fresh session cookie, re-enter the known password, and get five more guesses - until the 6-digit TOTP is guessed, yielding full account takeover. …
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Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata
Vulnerability AssessmentAI
| Exploitation | Exploitation requires the attacker to already know a valid first-factor password for a phpMyFAQ account that has TOTP two-factor authentication enabled, and the target must be running a version before 4.1.7. … Additional conditions and limiting factors are described in the full assessment. |
| Risk Assessment | The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N, base 9.1) captures high confidentiality and integrity impact reachable over the network, while AC:H and AT:P correctly reflect that success is probabilistic and requires repeated attempts rather than a single deterministic request. … Full risk analysis with EPSS, KEV, and SSVC signal comparison available after sign-in. |
| Exploit Scenario | An attacker who has phished or reused a valid phpMyFAQ user's password reaches the TOTP prompt, submits five wrong codes, then discards the session, requests a fresh session cookie, re-submits the same valid password, and receives five more guesses. Scripting this loop over the network lets the attacker cycle through TOTP values until one is accepted, completing login and taking over the account. … |
| Remediation | Upgrade to phpMyFAQ 4.1.7 or later, which is the vendor-released patch that fixes the session-scoped throttle; see the GitHub Security Advisory at https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-f98m-hcjv-7rp9. … Detailed patch versions, workarounds, and compensating controls in full report. |
Recommended ActionAI
Within 24 hours: enforce rate limiting on password authentication attempts at the user account level (not session level) to prevent the session-reset attack vector; restrict phpMyFAQ admin interface access to known corporate IP ranges or VPN; and activate detailed monitoring of authentication event logs for rapid session creation and repeated password entries. …
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Insufficient Session Expiration in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.2.2. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8
Authentication Bypass by Capture-replay in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.1.12. Rated critical severity
Weak Password Requirements in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.1.12. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), t
Weak Password Requirements in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.1.8. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), th
Unauthenticated SQL injection in phpMyFAQ before 4.1.2 allows remote attackers to extract credentials, admin tokens, and
In phpMyFAQ before 2.9.9, there is Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in admin/stat.ratings.php. Rated high severity (CVS
In phpMyFaq before 2.9.9, there is CSRF in admin/ajax.config.php. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is
In phpMyFAQ before 2.9.9, there is Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) for modifying a glossary. Rated high severity (CVSS
In phpMyFAQ before 2.9.9, there is Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in admin/stat.main.php. Rated high severity (CVSS 8
phpMyFAQ is an open source FAQ web application for PHP 8.1+ and MySQL, PostgreSQL and other databases. Rated high severi
phpMyFAQ is an open source FAQ web application for PHP 8.1+ and MySQL, PostgreSQL and other databases. Rated high severi
Improper Privilege Management in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.1.12. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), th
Same technique Authentication Bypass
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-62454
GHSA-xgjh-9vcx-v63q