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phpMyFAQ EUVDEUVD-2026-103318

| CVE-2026-111902 MEDIUM
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key (CWE-639)
2026-10-17 VulnCheck GHSA-346r-939v-qh8c
6.9
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Locate restricted/unpublished FAQ endpoint
  2. Exploit
    Send mismatched Accept-Language header to comments/attachments API
  3. Execution
    Translation-miss treated as public
  4. Impact
    Read restricted comments and attachment listings

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Object-level authorization, IDOR prevention
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the target phpMyFAQ instance to be running an affected 4.2.0-alpha build (pre-4.2.0-beta) and the attacker to target a FAQ that is unpublished or ACL-restricted AND missing a translation in the language requested via a mismatched Accept-Language HTTP header sent to the comments or attachments API endpoints - the missing-translation condition is what causes isFaqAccessibleForUser() to default the item to publicly visible. No authentication, privileges, or user interaction are required (PR:N/UI:N). Limiting factors: disclosure is confined to comments and attachment listings (not full FAQ body content), the impact is read-only confidentiality, and the flaw only exists in pre-release alpha code, so patched or stable deployments are unaffected.

Impact

The input CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L) scores 6.9 (MEDIUM) and describes a remote, unauthenticated, low-complexity attack requiring no user interaction - meaning the barrier to triggering it is minimal. However, the impact is deliberately narrow: confidentiality-only (VC:L, with VI:N/VA:N/SC:N), limited to reading comments and attachment listings of unpublished or ACL-restricted FAQs via the authorization bypass in isFaqAccessibleForUser() (CWE-639). There is no integrity, availability, or scope impact. No EPSS score, CISA KEV listing, or public POC is present in the provided data, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no evidence of active exploitation - the signals are not conflicting, they are simply absent, which is consistent with a recently-disclosed MEDIUM information-disclosure bug. A critical mitigating factor the raw score does not capture: the affected code exists only in the pre-release range '4.2.0-alpha before 4.2.0-beta', so production exposure is very limited. Net assessment: a genuine but low-priority information-disclosure issue, not a high-urgency threat; easy to trigger but low consequence, and scoped to pre-release software.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unauthenticated attacker targets a phpMyFAQ 4.2.0-alpha instance and identifies a FAQ that is unpublished or ACL-restricted but lacks a translation in a particular language. They issue requests to the comments and attachments API endpoints with a mismatched Accept-Language header, causing isFaqAccessibleForUser() to treat the missing translation as public and return the restricted FAQ's comments and attachment listings. No public exploit code is identified in the provided data, though the technique requires only a crafted HTTP header.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 17, 2026

Authorization bypass in phpMyFAQ 4.2.0-alpha allows unauthenticated remote attackers to read comments and attachment listings of unpublished or ACL-restricted FAQs by sending a mismatched Accept-Language header to the comments and attachments API endpoints. The flaw exists in isFaqAccessibleForUser() when a FAQ lacks a translation for the requested language, causing it to be treated as publicly visible. No public exploit identified at time of analysis; the issue affects only pre-release alpha builds before 4.2.0-beta, and patched or stable deployments are unaffected.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade to phpMyFAQ 4.2.0-beta or later, which corrects the authorization logic in isFaqAccessibleForUser(). The vendor advisory is available at https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-g6fj-8cjr-wrxv. If immediate upgrading is not possible, restrict access to the comments and attachments API endpoints via web server or reverse proxy rules, though this will break legitimate functionality for those features. Alternatively, ensure that every FAQ (including unpublished and ACL-restricted ones) has a translation in every language an attacker might request, but this is operationally burdensome and does not address the root cause. Only pre-release alpha builds of 4.2.0 are affected; stable releases are not impacted.

Affected VersionsENISA

phpMyFAQ 4.2.0-alpha <4.2.0-beta

Affected Packages

euvd phpmyfaq fix: 4.2.0-beta

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

phpMyFAQ is an open-source FAQ management system. The vulnerability is an authorization bypass (CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key) in the isFaqAccessibleForUser() function. This function is intended to enforce access control checks for FAQs, including unpublished or ACL-restricted items. However, when a FAQ has no translation for the language requested by the client (as indicated by the Accept-Language HTTP header), the function incorrectly treats the missing translation as publicly visible to unauthenticated users. An attacker can control the Accept-Language header to request a language for which the target FAQ has no translation, thereby bypassing ACL checks and accessing comments and attachment listings via the corresponding API endpoints. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L) and the independent CVSS 3.1 assessment (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N) both indicate a network-based, low-complexity, unauthenticated attack with no user interaction and limited confidentiality impact. The flaw is confined to pre-release alpha code and does not affect the FAQ body content, only comments and attachment listings.

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 6.9 MEDIUM
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 5.3 MEDIUM

Remote unauthenticated HTTP request with no user interaction (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N); read-only exposure of restricted comments/attachment listings gives C:L with no integrity or availability impact.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
Low
Vulnerable system: Integrity
None
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

1
Patch available
Oct 17, 2026 - 20:16 EUVD

DescriptionCVE.org

phpMyFAQ 4.2.0-alpha before 4.2.0-beta contains an authorization bypass vulnerability in isFaqAccessibleForUser() that treats a missing FAQ translation as visible to unauthenticated users. Attackers can send a mismatched Accept-Language header to the comments and attachments API endpoints to read comments and attachment listings of unpublished or ACL-restricted FAQs.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 83% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche open-source FAQ software, and only pre-release alpha builds affected
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
Yes
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

34
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +34
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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