Authorization Flaw in thorsten/phpmyfaq (CVE-2026-46362)
Summary
Vulnerability in thorsten/phpmyfaq (CVE-2026-46362). Confidential information can be exposed externally. Exploitable via ForbiddenException. Mitigation: upgrade to 4.1.2 or later.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
Summary
AbstractAdministrationController::userHasPermission() catches the ForbiddenException thrown when a user lacks a specific permission, sends a "forbidden" HTML page via $response->send(), but does not terminate execution. The calling controller method continues to execute, fetches protected data, renders the full template, and returns it as a Response. The final $response->send() in admin/index.php outputs the protected page content after the forbidden page, leaking all permission-protected admin data to any authenticated admin user regardless of their actual permissions.
Details
The parent class AbstractController::userHasPermission() (phpmyfaq/src/phpMyFAQ/Controller/AbstractController.php:317-327) correctly enforces authorization by throwing a ForbiddenException when the user lacks the required permission. This exception would normally propagate to Symfony's HttpKernel exception handler, which would return an error response and prevent the controller from continuing.
However, AbstractAdministrationController overrides this method at line 390-399:
#[\Override]
protected function userHasPermission(PermissionType $permissionType): void
{
try {
parent::userHasPermission($permissionType);
} catch (ForbiddenException $exception) {
$response = $this->getForbiddenPage($exception->getMessage());
$response->send(); // Outputs HTML but does NOT terminate execution
} catch (Exception $exception) {
$…
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database 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-2026-46362 has been found in thorsten/phpmyfaq.
Attackers can target a specific entry point like ForbiddenException over the network to misuse the product.
Confidential information can be exposed externally. CVSS score: 6.5/10.
What to do: upgrade thorsten/phpmyfaq to 4.1.2 or later.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "thorsten/phpmyfaq CVE-2026-46362" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-46362 (thorsten/phpmyfaq) — CWE-863 / CVSS v3 6.5
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / no user interaction
Attack surface: ForbiddenException / AbstractAdministrationController / return / catch
Patched: 4.1.2 — 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.
Incorrect authorization (CWE-863) exists in thorsten/phpmyfaq. Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via ForbiddenException.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of thorsten/phpmyfaq. Attack surface: ForbiddenException / AbstractAdministrationController / return / catch.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 6.5/10). Confidential information can be exposed externally.
Update to 4.1.2.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. 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。 -
2Apply patch patch
Upgrade thorsten/phpmyfaq to 4.1.2ステージング環境で 4.1.2 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を含めること。
-
3Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in production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。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF 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 vulncheck.com
- web github.com
- web github.com