phpMyFAQ Improper Access Control vulnerability

Description

phpMyFAQ prior to version 3.1.13 does not properly validate email addresses when updating user profiles. This vulnerability allows an attacker to manipulate their email address and change it to another email address that is already registered in the system, including email addresses belonging to other users such as the administrator. Once the attacker has control of the other user's email address, they can request to remove the user from the system, leading to a loss of data and access.

Basic information

Type
reviewed
Severity
medium
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
Source code
Browse source ↗
Published (advisory)
2023-04-30 03:30:26 UTC
Updated
2025-01-30 18:55:37 UTC
GitHub reviewed
2023-05-01 22:30:43 UTC
NVD published
2023-04-29

EPSS Score

Score Percentile
0.25% 48.51%

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
6.6 3.0
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:L)
Some sensitive info could get out, but not a total data dump.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.

Identifiers

CWEs

CWE id Name
CWE-284 Improper Access Control

Affected packages (1)

Vulnerable version ranges and first patched releases as published by GitHub.

Ecosystem Package Vulnerable range First patched Vulnerable functions
composer thorsten/phpmyfaq < 3.1.13 3.1.13

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence