CVE-2023-0789: Thorsten/phpmyfaq Command Injection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6vp5-vv9p-7q62
Share
CVSS 9.8
CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-0789 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) command injection vulnerability (CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')) affecting Thorsten/phpmyfaq libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves command injection in thorsten/phpmyfaq. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.11.

CVE-2023-0789 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-0789
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6vp5-vv9p-7q62
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
Affected Product Thorsten/phpmyfaq
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-0789

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Thorsten/phpmyfaq dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

thorsten/phpmyfaq fixed: 3.1.11 
Upgrade thorsten/phpmyfaq to 3.1.11
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for thorsten/phpmyfaq

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2023-0789, inspect your project dependencies for Thorsten/phpmyfaq:

inspect dependencies for thorsten/phpmyfaq

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Thorsten/phpmyfaq in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.11), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component. In Thorsten/phpmyfaq, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Command Injection in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.1.11.

CVE-2023-0789 Affected Thorsten/phpmyfaq Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.1.11
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
thorsten/phpmyfaq
 Packagist
< 3.1.11
3.1.11

References

NVD — CVE-2023-0789 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-0789
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/thorsten/phpmyfaq/commit/40515c74815ace394ab23c6c19cbb33fd49059cb
Thorsten/phpmyfaq Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ
huntr.com/bounties/d9375178-2... WEB
https://huntr.com/bounties/d9375178-2f23-4f5d-88bd-bba3d6ba7cc5

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-0789?
CVE-2023-0789 is a security vulnerability in Thorsten/phpmyfaq involving Command Injection in thorsten/phpmyfaq under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection').
Which Thorsten/phpmyfaq versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.11 across affected packages: thorsten/phpmyfaq.
What version fixes CVE-2023-0789?
Upgrading to 3.1.11 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is thorsten/phpmyfaq affected?
Yes, thorsten/phpmyfaq is affected in releases prior to 3.1.11. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.11 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-0789?
CVE-2023-0789 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-0789?
CVE-2023-0789 is classified under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2023-0789?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for thorsten/phpmyfaq'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-6vp5-vv9p-7q62",
  "modified" : "2025-03-21T21:49:09Z",
  "published" : "2023-02-12T15:30:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-0789" ],
  "summary" : "Command Injection in thorsten/phpmyfaq",
  "details" : "Command Injection in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.1.11.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "thorsten/phpmyfaq"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-0789"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpmyfaq/commit/40515c74815ace394ab23c6c19cbb33fd49059cb"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://huntr.com/bounties/d9375178-2f23-4f5d-88bd-bba3d6ba7cc5"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-77" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-14T01:05:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-02-12T14:15:00Z"
  }
}