phpMyFAQ Stored HTML Injection at contentLinkGHSA-48vw-jpf8-hwqh
MEDIUMFix: thorsten/phpMyFAQ@4fed1d9GHSA-48vw-jpf8-hwqh is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq — see the affected versions and patch details below.
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 GHSA-48vw-jpf8-hwqh.
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/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 contentLink parameter, it is possible for unauthenticated users to inject HTML code to the page which might affect other users. Also, requires that adding new FAQs is allowed for guests and that the admin doesn't check the content of a newly added FAQ.
PoC
-
Browse to ../phpmyfaq/index.php?action=add&cat=0 , enter
https://test.com?p=<h1>HTML_INJECTION</h1>for the contentLink parameter. -
Verify the HTML injection by viewing the FAQ itself, “All categories” → “CategoryName” → ”QuestionName”.
Impact
Attackers can manipulate the appearance and functionality of web pages by injecting malicious HTML code. This can lead to various undesirable outcomes, such as defacing the website, redirecting users to malicious sites, or altering the content to deceive users. Additionally, unauthenticated HTML injection can compromise user privacy by displaying sensitive information or misleading content. It undermines the integrity of the application and erodes user trust, potentially resulting in loss of reputation and credibility.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq | ≥ 3.2.5&&< 3.2.6 | 3.2.6composer require phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq:^3.2.6 |
Affected Products
phpmyfaqphpmyfaqResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & 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.
Fix
Update phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq to 3.2.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-48vw-jpf8-hwqh is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
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 GHSA-48vw-jpf8-hwqh in your dependencies?
Find it across Packagist, including transitive dependencies.