CVE-2025-59943: Thorsten/phpmyfaq PhpMyFAQ Duplicate Email Registration Allows Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9wj2-4hcm-r74j
CVSS 8.1
CWE-284 CWE-286
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-59943 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) phpmyfaq duplicate email registration allows vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Thorsten/phpmyfaq libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves phpmyfaq duplicate email registration allows multiple accounts with the same email. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.0.13.

CVE-2025-59943 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-59943
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9wj2-4hcm-r74j
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product Thorsten/phpmyfaq
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2025-59943

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: 4.0.13
Upgrade thorsten/phpmyfaq to 4.0.13
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-2025-59943, 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 4.0.13), 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-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. 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

### Summary phpMyFAQ does not enforce uniqueness of email addresses during user registration. This allows multiple distinct accounts to be created with the same email. Because email is often used as an identifier for password resets, notifications, and administrative actions, this flaw can cause account ambiguity and, in certain configurations, may lead to privilege escalation or account takeover. ### Details An account management logic flaw in phpMyFAQ allows attackers to register multiple accounts under the same email address. If email is used for password reset or administrative flows, this may result in account takeover, loss of accountability, and abuse of business logic. ### PoC 1.Register a user with email test@example.com 2.Register another user with the same email. 3.Both accounts appear in /admin/?action=user&user_action=listallusers. <img width="1150" height="628" alt="image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8c19f01a-e897-4ca7-b3f8-fcf83e6ff952" /> ### Impact -Data integrity loss: Multiple accounts mapped to one email break auditability. -Password reset ambiguity: If reset flow relies on email only, attackers can target or take over accounts. -Privilege escalation: If one account with the same email has admin privileges, an attacker controlling the email may escalate. -Spam / DoS: Attackers can mass-register accounts with a single email to pollute the system. This is a business logic / authentication vulnerability. Impacted users are anyone relying on phpMyFAQ’s account system where email is assumed to be unique.

CVE-2025-59943 Affected Thorsten/phpmyfaq Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.0.13
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
thorsten/phpmyfaq
Packagist
≥ 4.0.7
< 4.0.13
4.0.13

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-59943?
CVE-2025-59943 is a security vulnerability in Thorsten/phpmyfaq involving phpMyFAQ duplicate email registration allows multiple accounts with the same email under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which Thorsten/phpmyfaq versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.0.13 across affected packages: thorsten/phpmyfaq.
What version fixes CVE-2025-59943?
Upgrading to 4.0.13 (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 4.0.13. Upgrade your dependency to 4.0.13 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-59943?
CVE-2025-59943 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-59943?
CVE-2025-59943 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2025-59943?
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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-9wj2-4hcm-r74j",
  "modified" : "2025-10-13T15:10:22Z",
  "published" : "2025-10-03T14:52:33Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-59943" ],
  "summary" : "phpMyFAQ duplicate email registration allows multiple accounts with the same email",
  "details" : "### Summary\nphpMyFAQ does not enforce uniqueness of email addresses during user registration. This allows multiple distinct accounts to be created with the same email. Because email is often used as an identifier for password resets, notifications, and administrative actions, this flaw can cause account ambiguity and, in certain configurations, may lead to privilege escalation or account takeover.\n\n### Details\nAn account management logic flaw in phpMyFAQ allows attackers to register multiple accounts under the same email address. If email is used for password reset or administrative flows, this may result in account takeover, loss of accountability, and abuse of business logic.\n### PoC\n\n1.Register  a user with email test@example.com\n2.Register another user with the same email.\n3.Both accounts appear in /admin/?action=user&user_action=listallusers.\n<img width=\"1150\" height=\"628\" alt=\"image\" src=\"https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8c19f01a-e897-4ca7-b3f8-fcf83e6ff952\" />\n\n### Impact\n\n-Data integrity loss: Multiple accounts mapped to one email break auditability.\n-Password reset ambiguity: If reset flow relies on email only, attackers can target or take over accounts.\n-Privilege escalation: If one account with the same email has admin privileges, an attacker controlling the email may escalate.\n-Spam / DoS: Attackers can mass-register accounts with a single email to pollute the system.\n\nThis is a business logic / authentication vulnerability. Impacted users are anyone relying on phpMyFAQ’s account system where email is assumed to be unique.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "thorsten/phpmyfaq"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.7"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.13"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-9wj2-4hcm-r74j"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-59943"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/commit/44cd20f86eb041f39d1c30a9beefad1cc61dc0ec"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284", "CWE-286" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-10-03T14:52:33Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-10-03T21:15:34Z"
  }
}