CVE-2024-56199 — phpmyfaq
MEDIUMCVE-2024-56199 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.2) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq. The records list no fixed version yet; check the vendor advisory below and apply the mitigations in the meantime.
phpMyFAQ Vulnerable to Stored HTML Injection at FAQ
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2024-56199.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq🐘thorsten/phpmyfaqReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
Due to insufficient validation on the content of new FAQ posts, it is possible for authenticated users to inject malicious HTML or JavaScript code that can impact other users viewing the FAQ. This vulnerability arises when user-provided inputs in FAQ entries are not sanitized or escaped before being rendered on the page.
Details
An attacker can inject malicious HTML content into the FAQ editor at http://localhost/admin/index.php?action=editentry, resulting in a complete disruption of the FAQ page's user interface. By injecting malformed HTML elements styled to cover the entire screen, an attacker can render the page unusable. This injection manipulates the page structure by introducing overlapping buttons, images, and iframes, breaking the intended layout and functionality.
PoC
- In the source code of a FAQ Q&A post, insert the likes of this snippet:
<p><--`<img src="`"> --!></p>
<div style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;"><form><button>HTML INJECTION 1<img> <img> <img> <img> <iframe></iframe></button>
<div style="xg-p: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;">x</div>
<button>HTML INJECTION 2<iframe></iframe> <iframe></iframe> </button></form></div>
2. A normal user would see the broken FAQ page, or otherwise manipulated by the attacker to present a different malicious page:
A demo (fresh install overwrites every 24hours) here: https://roy.demo.phpmyfaq.de/content/1/24/en/24.html?
Impact
Exploiting this issue can lead to Denial of Service for legitimate users, damage to the user experience, and potential abuse in phishing or defacement attacks.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq | ≥ 3.2.10 | No fix |
| 🐘Packagist | thorsten/phpmyfaq | ≥ 3.2.10 | No fix |
Affected Products
phpmyfaqphpmyfaqDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Remediation status
The records we use list no patched version of phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq for CVE-2024-56199. Check the maintainer's advisory, and where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range.
Mitigate without a patch
Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2024-56199 in your dependencies?
Find it across Packagist, including transitive dependencies.