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phpMyFAQ EUVDEUVD-2026-109443

| CVE-2026-116182 MEDIUM
Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) (CWE-918)
2026-10-25 VulnCheck GHSA-qxg5-vwcr-vrfc
5.3
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
    Obtain permission to edit FAQ content
  2. Delivery
    Embed internal/loopback URL as image reference
  3. Exploit
    Trigger PDF export endpoint
  4. Execution
    Server fetches internal service response
  5. Impact
    Internal response embedded in generated PDF

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V4 - API and Web Service URL allowlisting, SSRF prevention
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Credential Access

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires two concrete prerequisites drawn from the advisory: (1) the ability to create or modify FAQ answer content so a malicious <img> URL (e.g. pointing to a loopback/internal host) can be stored, and (2) the destination host must be permitted by records.allowedMediaHosts - in the reported test 'localhost' was explicitly added to that allowlist, which is a non-default configuration. The SSRF is actually triggered by a request to the PDF export endpoint (e.g. GET /pdf/1/100/en), which can be made anonymously. Limiting factors: the reporter could NOT prove the full chain for an entirely unauthenticated attacker (content control was required), the allowedMediaHosts policy must permit the internal target, and it is not yet established whether default configurations are vulnerable or whether sensitive internal responses can be read back through the PDF rather than merely fetched.

Impact

This is a genuine but moderate-priority SSRF (CWE-918). The input CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N) scores 5.3 (Medium), and the vuln.today Decision label is 'this_month' - not 'act_now' or 'emergency' - which aligns with the limited, low-confidentiality impact rather than a drop-everything event. The vector reports only VC:L/SC:L with no integrity or availability impact. Several escalation signals are ABSENT: there is no CISA KEV listing and no EPSS score in the supplied data, so there is no evidence of active or widespread exploitation. A detailed public PoC reference exists in the GHSA advisory, but the input does not mark it 'Publicly available (confirmed)' as working exploit code. Crucially, PR:L reflects that the reporter required permission to create or modify FAQ content, and the advisory explicitly states the complete chain was 'not proven to be achievable by an entirely unauthenticated attacker.' The tested exploitation also depended on a non-default condition - 'localhost' being present in records.allowedMediaHosts - and the advisory notes further testing is needed to establish whether default configurations are affected and whether sensitive internal responses can actually be read. Net: a real, patch-worthy issue best handled on a monthly patch cycle, not a high-urgency emergency.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who can create or edit FAQ answers embeds an HTML image tag whose src points to a loopback or internal-only service (e.g. http://localhost:9321/internal-secret.png). When the PDF export endpoint (GET /pdf/1/100/en) is invoked, the phpMyFAQ server fetches that URL server-side and embeds the response in the generated PDF, allowing requests to internal services not reachable from the attacker directly. A public PoC reference exists; it is not verified in the input as working exploit code, and it succeeded only with 'localhost' allowed in records.allowedMediaHosts.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 25, 2026

Server-side request forgery in phpMyFAQ's PDF export feature lets an attacker who can plant an image URL inside FAQ answer content make the server fetch a destination of their choosing - for example a loopback or internal HTTP service - and embed the response in the generated PDF. All releases before 4.1.10 are affected, and the vendor has released 4.1.10 as the fix. The reported chain requires two preconditions: permission to create or modify the FAQ containing the malicious <img> reference, and the target host being permitted by records.allowedMediaHosts (the reporter explicitly added 'localhost' to that allowlist, a non-default setting); the reporter could not demonstrate the full chain against a completely unauthenticated attacker or against default configurations, and confirmed only that retrieval and embedding occur, not that arbitrary internal data can be extracted. No CISA KEV entry or EPSS score was supplied, and the advisory ships a local reproduction script rather than verified working exploit code; the priority signal is a routine monthly patch cadence.

RemediationAI

Upgrade to phpMyFAQ 4.1.10, the vendor-released fix version (Composer users: composer/phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq 4.1.10), following the vendor advisory at https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-8wmv-9c4g-p5mg. On versions that cannot be updated immediately, review records.allowedMediaHosts and remove entries for localhost, loopback addresses and internal hostnames so that PDF export cannot fetch restricted destinations - the side effect is that legitimate media served from those hosts will no longer be embedded in exported PDFs. In parallel, restrict who can create or modify FAQ answer content, since the chain requires the ability to store a malicious <img> reference; this narrows exposure without addressing the underlying fetch behavior, and the vendor fix for the destination handling remains the complete remediation. The advisory's reporter notes that it was not established whether sensitive internal responses can be read back through the PDF or whether default configurations are vulnerable, so validating configuration against the fixed release is worthwhile even after upgrading.

Affected VersionsENISA

phpMyFAQ 0 <4.1.10

Affected Packages

euvd phpmyfaq fix: 4.1.10

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

The flaw is CWE-918 (server-side request forgery) in phpMyFAQ's PDF generation path: when a FAQ answer contains an image reference, the export routine retrieves that image from the server side rather than leaving it to the client, and then embeds the fetched content in the PDF. The tested endpoint is GET /pdf/1/100/en, which returned HTTP 200 and produced a PDF containing a 4x4 pixel test image pulled from a separate service bound to 127.0.0.1:9321 in the reporter's environment (SQLite backend, PHP 8.4). Destination control appears to hinge on the records.allowedMediaHosts configuration; in the reported test 'localhost' had been added to that allowlist, so the retrieval was permitted under the tested policy, and it remains unverified whether default configurations permit loopback or internal targets. The assessed vector (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N) reflects that the PDF endpoint itself can be requested anonymously but the chain requires low-privileged capability to store the malicious content, with scope change and limited confidentiality impact; the trigger conditions beyond content control and allowlist policy are not further described in the available sources.

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 5.3 MEDIUM
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 5.0 MEDIUM

Requires authenticated ability to control FAQ content (PR:L); scope changes as the server reaches other systems (S:C); only limited confidentiality via fetched responses, no integrity/availability impact.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

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

Lifecycle Timeline

1
Patch available
Oct 25, 2026 - 14:01 EUVD

DescriptionCVE.org

phpMyFAQ before 4.1.10 contains a server-side request forgery vulnerability in the PDF export feature that fetches external images referenced in FAQ answers. Attackers who can influence FAQ content can embed image URLs pointing to loopback or internal services, causing the server to request them and embed responses in generated PDFs.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 90% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche open-source PHP FAQ application, limited production deployment footprint
Social Media
1
Sightings
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

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 0.2%
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
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

26
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +26
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Server-Side Request Forgery exploits applications that fetch remote resources based on user-supplied URLs.

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