GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq: Duplicate Advisory SQL Injection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-89
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) sql injection vulnerability (CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')) affecting Duplicate Advisory libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves phpmyfaq has unauthenticated sql injection via user-agent header in builtincaptcha. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.1.2.

GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
Affected Product Duplicate Advisory
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 GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Duplicate Advisory 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: 4.1.2 
Upgrade thorsten/phpmyfaq to 4.1.2
phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq fixed: 4.1.2 
Upgrade phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq to 4.1.2
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 GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq, inspect your project dependencies for Duplicate Advisory:

inspect dependencies for thorsten/phpmyfaq

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Duplicate Advisory in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.1.2), 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-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an sql command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended sql command when it is sent to a downstream component. without sufficient removal or quoting of sql syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated sql query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as sql instead of ordinary user data. In Duplicate Advisory, 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

### Duplicate Advisory This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-289f-fq7w-6q2w. This link is maintained to preserve external references. ### Original Description phpMyFAQ before 4.1.2 contains an unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in BuiltinCaptcha::garbageCollector() and BuiltinCaptcha::saveCaptcha() methods that interpolate unsanitized User-Agent headers into DELETE and INSERT queries. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit the public GET /api/captcha endpoint by crafting malicious User-Agent headers to perform time-based blind SQL injection, extracting sensitive data including user credentials, admin tokens, and SMTP credentials from the database.

GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq Affected Duplicate Advisory Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.1.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
thorsten/phpmyfaq
 Packagist
< 4.1.2
4.1.2
phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq
 Packagist
< 4.1.2
4.1.2

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-289f-fq7w-6q2w
NVD — GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46364
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/commit/b9f25109fddb38eee19987183798638d07943f92
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phpmyfaq... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phpmyfaq-sql-injection-via-user-agent-header-in-builtincaptcha

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq?
GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq is a security vulnerability in Duplicate Advisory involving phpMyFAQ has unauthenticated SQL injection via User-Agent header in BuiltinCaptcha under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection').
Which Duplicate Advisory versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.1.2 across affected packages: thorsten/phpmyfaq, phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq.
What version fixes GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq?
Upgrading to 4.1.2 (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 4.1.2. Upgrade your dependency to 4.1.2 or later.
Is phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq affected?
Yes, phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq is affected in releases prior to 4.1.2. Upgrade your dependency to 4.1.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq?
GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq 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 GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq?
GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq is classified under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for GHSA-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq?
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-ch9q-c9mp-j5gq",
  "modified" : "2026-06-08T23:57:36Z",
  "published" : "2026-05-15T21:31:32Z",
  "withdrawn" : "2026-06-08T23:57:36Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "Duplicate Advisory: phpMyFAQ has unauthenticated SQL injection via User-Agent header in BuiltinCaptcha",
  "details" : "### Duplicate Advisory\nThis advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-289f-fq7w-6q2w. This link is maintained to preserve external references.\n\n### Original Description\nphpMyFAQ before 4.1.2 contains an unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability in BuiltinCaptcha::garbageCollector() and BuiltinCaptcha::saveCaptcha() methods that interpolate unsanitized User-Agent headers into DELETE and INSERT queries. Unauthenticated attackers can exploit the public GET /api/captcha endpoint by crafting malicious User-Agent headers to perform time-based blind SQL injection, extracting sensitive data including user credentials, admin tokens, and SMTP credentials from the database.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "thorsten/phpmyfaq"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.1.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.1.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-289f-fq7w-6q2w"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46364"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/commit/b9f25109fddb38eee19987183798638d07943f92"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phpmyfaq-sql-injection-via-user-agent-header-in-builtincaptcha"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-89" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-08T23:57:36Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-05-15T19:17:03Z"
  }
}