GHSA-WM8H-26FV-MG7G

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-01-23 20:17 – Updated: 2026-01-23 21:12
VLAI?
Summary
phpMyFAQ: /api/setup/backup accessible to any authenticated user (authz missing)
Details

Summary

Authenticated non‑admin users can call /api/setup/backup and trigger a configuration backup. The endpoint only checks authentication, not authorization, and returns a link to the generated ZIP.

Details

SetupController.php uses userIsAuthenticated() but does not verify that the requester has configuration/admin permissions. This allows any logged‑in user to create a sensitive backup and retrieve its path.

PoC

Precondition: API enabled, any authenticated non‑admin user. - Log in as a non‑admin user. - Call backup endpoint.

curl -c /tmp/pmf_api_cookies.txt \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"username":"tester","password":"Test1234!"}' \
  http://192.168.40.16/phpmyfaq/api/v3.0/login

curl -i -b /tmp/pmf_api_cookies.txt \
  -X POST --data '4.0.16' \
  http://192.168.40.16/phpmyfaq/api/setup/backup

Impact

Low‑privileged users can generate sensitive backups. If the ZIP is web‑accessible (server misconfiguration), this can lead to secret exposure.

Severity ?
6.5 (Medium)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Show details on source website
To clipboard 

{
  "affected": [
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 4.0.16"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Packagist",
        "name": "phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "4.0.17"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 4.0.16"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Packagist",
        "name": "thorsten/phpmyfaq"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "4.0.17"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-24421"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-285"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-01-23T20:17:25Z",
    "nvd_published_at": null,
    "severity": "MODERATE"
  },
  "details": "### Summary\nAuthenticated non\u2011admin users can call /api/setup/backup and trigger a configuration backup. The endpoint only checks authentication, not authorization, and returns a link to the generated ZIP.\n\n### Details\nSetupController.php uses userIsAuthenticated() but does not verify that the requester has configuration/admin permissions. This allows any logged\u2011in user to create a sensitive backup and retrieve its path.\n\n### PoC\nPrecondition: API enabled, any authenticated non\u2011admin user.\n- Log in as a non\u2011admin user.\n- Call backup endpoint.\n```\ncurl -c /tmp/pmf_api_cookies.txt \\\n  -H \u0027Content-Type: application/json\u0027 \\\n  -d \u0027{\"username\":\"tester\",\"password\":\"Test1234!\"}\u0027 \\\n  http://192.168.40.16/phpmyfaq/api/v3.0/login\n\ncurl -i -b /tmp/pmf_api_cookies.txt \\\n  -X POST --data \u00274.0.16\u0027 \\\n  http://192.168.40.16/phpmyfaq/api/setup/backup\n```\n\n### Impact\nLow\u2011privileged users can generate sensitive backups. If the ZIP is web\u2011accessible (server misconfiguration), this can lead to secret exposure.",
  "id": "GHSA-wm8h-26fv-mg7g",
  "modified": "2026-01-23T21:12:35Z",
  "published": "2026-01-23T20:17:25Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-wm8h-26fv-mg7g"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "phpMyFAQ: /api/setup/backup accessible to any authenticated user (authz missing)"
}


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