Vulnerability in thorsten/phpmyfaq (CVE-2026-35672)
Summary
Vulnerability in thorsten/phpmyfaq (CVE-2026-35672). Data can be tampered with by attackers. Exploitable via POST /api/v4.0/faq/create. Mitigation: upgrade to 4.1.3 or later.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
Summary
A default empty API client token allows any unauthenticated user to create and modify FAQ entries, categories, and questions via the REST API. The vulnerability exists in all versions since API v4.0 was introduced because the installation process seeds api.apiClientToken with an empty string, and the hasValidToken() comparison logic cannot distinguish between "no token configured" and "attacker sent a matching empty token header."
Details
The root cause is in two files:
1. Installation default (src/phpMyFAQ/Setup/Installation/DefaultDataSeeder.php, line 277-278):
'api.enableAccess' => 'true',
'api.apiClientToken' => '', // ← defaults to empty string
2. Authentication check (src/phpMyFAQ/Controller/AbstractController.php, line 198-204):
protected function hasValidToken(): void
{
$request = Request::createFromGlobals();
if ($this->configuration->get('api.apiClientToken') !== $request->headers->get('x-pmf-token')) {
throw new UnauthorizedHttpException('"x-pmf-token" is not valid.');
}
}
The method uses strict inequality (!==). When api.apiClientToken is '' (default) and the attacker sends x-pmf-token: (empty header value), the comparison becomes '' !== '' which evaluates to false — no exception is thrown, and authentication is completely bypassed.
The OpenAPI annotations confirm the developer intended these endpoints to require authentication: write endpoints are tagged `'Endp…
Source: GitHub Security Advisories (Global) NVD GitHub Advisory
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-35672 has been found in thorsten/phpmyfaq.
Attackers can target a specific entry point like POST /api/v4.0/faq/create over the network to misuse the product.
Data can be tampered with by attackers. CVSS score: 7.5/10.
What to do: upgrade thorsten/phpmyfaq to 4.1.3 or later.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "thorsten/phpmyfaq CVE-2026-35672" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-35672 (thorsten/phpmyfaq) — CWE-1188 / CVSS v3 7.5
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / unauthenticated / no user interaction
Attack surface: POST /api/v4.0/faq/create / POST /api/v4.0/category / GET /api/v4.0/faqs/1 / api.apiClientToken
Patched: 4.1.3 — apply immediately
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
A vulnerability (CWE-1188) exists in thorsten/phpmyfaq. Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via POST /api/v4.0/faq/create without authentication.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of thorsten/phpmyfaq. Attack surface: POST /api/v4.0/faq/create / POST /api/v4.0/category / GET /api/v4.0/faqs/1 / api.apiClientToken.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.5/10). Data can be tampered with by attackers.
Update to 4.1.3.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual POST /api/v4.0/faq/create requests with malformed payloads or SQL meta-characters. Run grep -r 'thorsten/phpmyfaq' . against your dependency files (package-lock.json, requirements.txt, go.sum) to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
-
1Identify exposure identify
grep -r 'thorsten/phpmyfaq' . | grep -v node_modulesリポジトリと本番環境の依存ファイル (package-lock.json / requirements.txt / go.sum / Gemfile.lock 等) で
thorsten/phpmyfaqを grep し、稼働しているサービス・バージョンを把握する。 -
2Hunt for indicators of compromise detect
grep 'POST /api/v4.0/faq/create' /var/log/nginx/access.log | grep -E '(unusual_payload|sqli_pattern)'アクセスログで
POST /api/v4.0/faq/createへの異常なリクエスト (不正な認証ヘッダ・SQLメタ文字)を過去 30〜90日分捜索。WAF/SIEM があれば該当パスのアラート発火履歴を確認。 -
3Apply patch patch
Upgrade thorsten/phpmyfaq to 4.1.3ステージング環境で 4.1.3 に上げて回帰テスト → 本番反映。回帰テストはアプリの主要ハッピーパスと、Step 2 で見つけた異常検知の続報チェックを含めること。
-
4Post-deployment verification verify
Replay attack against POST /api/v4.0/faq/create on staging to confirm patch closes the vectorパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番では Step 2 と同じログクエリでアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
Affected packages
References
- advisory nvd.nist.gov
- package github.com
- web github.com
- web github.com
- web vulncheck.com