CVE-2024-22208: Phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq PhpMyFAQ Sharing FAQ Functionality Can Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9hhf-xmcw-r3xg
CVSS 6.5
CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2024-22208 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) phpmyfaq sharing faq functionality can vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) affecting Phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves phpmyfaq sharing faq functionality can easily be abused for phishing purposes. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.5.

CVE-2024-22208 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2024-22208
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9hhf-xmcw-r3xg
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
Affected Product Phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

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:N/I:L/A:L).

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 None (C:N)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2024-22208

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Phpmyfaq/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.

phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq fixed: 3.2.5
Upgrade phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq to 3.2.5
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 phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2024-22208, inspect your project dependencies for Phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq:

inspect dependencies for phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.2.5), 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-863: Incorrect Authorization, where the product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. In Phpmyfaq/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

### Summary The 'sharing FAQ' functionality allows any unauthenticated actor to misuse the phpMyFAQ application to send arbitrary emails to a large range of targets. ### Details The phpMyFAQ application has a functionality where anyone can share a FAQ item to others. The front-end of this functionality allows any phpMyFAQ articles to be shared with 5 email addresses. The application will then send these 5 emails. However, there are no controls over what link and content are shared. Furthermore, any unauthenticated actor can perform this action. There is a CAPTCHA in place, however the amount of people you email with a single request is not limited to 5 by the backend. An attacker can thus solve a single CAPTCHA and send thousands of emails at once. ### PoC We send the following form and capture the request. ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/44903767/296291204-4a472536-9838-4f9e-bd95-df3d886af43f.png) We now change the body to contain 50 email addresses instead of just 1, and send the request. The attacker can also change the body of the email to any phishing message. ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/44903767/296291441-bba85a6c-45be-4f07-9385-e6da27713e35.png) Below are the logs of the email server, proving that all these emails were sent. ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/44903767/296291673-d324be20-74b9-4e16-b25d-aa9b1dd75d5a.png) An attacker can also change the link that is sent in these emails. Making phishing even more possible. ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/44903767/296291897-8c0a40e7-cd4b-4021-8f4d-4362e10ad36b.png) ### Impact An attacker can utilize the target application's email server to send phishing messages. This can get the server on a blacklist, causing all emails to end up in spam. It can also lead to reputational damages.

CVE-2024-22208 Affected Phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.2.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq
Packagist
< 3.2.5
3.2.5

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-22208?
CVE-2024-22208 is a security vulnerability in Phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq involving phpMyFAQ sharing FAQ functionality can easily be abused for phishing purposes under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
Which Phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.2.5 across affected packages: phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq.
What version fixes CVE-2024-22208?
Upgrading to 3.2.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq affected?
Yes, phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq is affected in releases prior to 3.2.5. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-22208?
CVE-2024-22208 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2024-22208?
CVE-2024-22208 is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization (The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2024-22208?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for phpmyfaq/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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-9hhf-xmcw-r3xg",
  "modified" : "2024-02-05T23:05:22Z",
  "published" : "2024-02-05T20:21:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2024-22208" ],
  "summary" : "phpMyFAQ sharing FAQ functionality can easily be abused for phishing purposes",
  "details" : "### Summary\nThe 'sharing FAQ' functionality allows any unauthenticated actor to misuse the phpMyFAQ application to send arbitrary emails to a large range of targets.\n\n### Details\nThe phpMyFAQ application has a functionality where anyone can share a FAQ item to others. The front-end of this functionality allows any phpMyFAQ articles to be shared with 5 email addresses. The application will then send these 5 emails. However, there are no controls over what link and content are shared. Furthermore, any unauthenticated actor can perform this action. There is a CAPTCHA in place, however the amount of people you email with a single request is not limited to 5 by the backend. An attacker can thus solve a single CAPTCHA and send thousands of emails at once. \n\n### PoC\nWe send the following form and capture the request.\n![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/44903767/296291204-4a472536-9838-4f9e-bd95-df3d886af43f.png)\n\nWe now change the body to contain 50 email addresses instead of just 1, and send the request. The attacker can also change the body of the email to any phishing message.\n![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/44903767/296291441-bba85a6c-45be-4f07-9385-e6da27713e35.png)\n\nBelow are the logs of the email server, proving that all these emails were sent.\n![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/44903767/296291673-d324be20-74b9-4e16-b25d-aa9b1dd75d5a.png)\n\nAn attacker can also change the link that is sent in these emails. Making phishing even more possible.\n![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/44903767/296291897-8c0a40e7-cd4b-4021-8f4d-4362e10ad36b.png)\n\n### Impact\nAn attacker can utilize the target application's email server to send phishing messages. This can get the server on a blacklist, causing all emails to end up in spam. It can also lead to reputational damages.\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-9hhf-xmcw-r3xg"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-22208"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/commit/a34d94ab7b1be9256a9ef898f18ea6bfb63f6f1e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.phpmyfaq.de/security/advisory-2024-02-05"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-02-05T20:21:25Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-02-05T21:15:11Z"
  }
}