CVE-2026-24421: phpMyFAQ /api/setup/backup Accessible To Any Authenticated Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wm8h-26fv-mg7g
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-862 CWE-285
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-24421 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) /api/setup/backup accessible to any authenticated vulnerability (CWE-862: Missing Authorization) affecting phpMyFAQ libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves /api/setup/backup accessible to any authenticated user (authz missing). Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.0.17.

CVE-2026-24421 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-24421
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wm8h-26fv-mg7g
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-862: Missing Authorization
Affected Product 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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-24421

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected 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: 4.0.17 
Upgrade phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq to 4.0.17
thorsten/phpmyfaq fixed: 4.0.17 
Upgrade thorsten/phpmyfaq to 4.0.17
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-2026-24421, inspect your project dependencies for phpMyFAQ:

inspect dependencies for phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of phpMyFAQ in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.0.17), 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-862: Missing Authorization, where the product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. In 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 Authenticated non‑admin users can call /api/setup/backup and trigger a configuration backup. The endpoint only checks authentication, not authorization, and returns a link to the generated ZIP. ### Details SetupController.php uses userIsAuthenticated() but does not verify that the requester has configuration/admin permissions. This allows any logged‑in user to create a sensitive backup and retrieve its path. ### PoC Precondition: API enabled, any authenticated non‑admin user. - Log in as a non‑admin user. - Call backup endpoint. ``` curl -c /tmp/pmf_api_cookies.txt \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ -d '{"username":"tester","password":"Test1234!"}' \ http://192.168.40.16/phpmyfaq/api/v3.0/login curl -i -b /tmp/pmf_api_cookies.txt \ -X POST --data '4.0.16' \ http://192.168.40.16/phpmyfaq/api/setup/backup ``` ### Impact Low‑privileged users can generate sensitive backups. If the ZIP is web‑accessible (server misconfiguration), this can lead to secret exposure.

CVE-2026-24421 Affected phpMyFAQ Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.0.17
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq
 Packagist
< 4.0.17
4.0.17
thorsten/phpmyfaq
 Packagist
< 4.0.17
4.0.17

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-wm8h-26fv-mg7g
NVD — CVE-2026-24421 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-24421
phpMyFAQ Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-24421?
CVE-2026-24421 is a security vulnerability in phpMyFAQ involving /api/setup/backup accessible to any authenticated user (authz missing) under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.
Which phpMyFAQ versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.0.17 across affected packages: phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq, thorsten/phpmyfaq.
What version fixes CVE-2026-24421?
Upgrading to 4.0.17 (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 4.0.17. Upgrade your dependency to 4.0.17 or later.
Is thorsten/phpmyfaq affected?
Yes, thorsten/phpmyfaq is affected in releases prior to 4.0.17. Upgrade your dependency to 4.0.17 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-24421?
CVE-2026-24421 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-24421?
CVE-2026-24421 is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization (The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2026-24421?
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
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-wm8h-26fv-mg7g",
  "modified" : "2026-01-28T04:43:46Z",
  "published" : "2026-01-23T20:17:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-24421" ],
  "summary" : "phpMyFAQ: /api/setup/backup accessible to any authenticated user (authz missing)",
  "details" : "### Summary\nAuthenticated non‑admin users can call /api/setup/backup and trigger a configuration backup. The endpoint only checks authentication, not authorization, and returns a link to the generated ZIP.\n\n### Details\nSetupController.php uses userIsAuthenticated() but does not verify that the requester has configuration/admin permissions. This allows any logged‑in user to create a sensitive backup and retrieve its path.\n\n### PoC\nPrecondition: API enabled, any authenticated non‑admin user.\n- Log in as a non‑admin user.\n- Call backup endpoint.\n```\ncurl -c /tmp/pmf_api_cookies.txt \\\n  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \\\n  -d '{\"username\":\"tester\",\"password\":\"Test1234!\"}' \\\n  http://192.168.40.16/phpmyfaq/api/v3.0/login\n\ncurl -i -b /tmp/pmf_api_cookies.txt \\\n  -X POST --data '4.0.16' \\\n  http://192.168.40.16/phpmyfaq/api/setup/backup\n```\n\n### Impact\nLow‑privileged users can generate sensitive backups. If the ZIP is web‑accessible (server misconfiguration), this can lead to secret exposure.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.17"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.0.16"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "thorsten/phpmyfaq"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.17"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.0.16"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-wm8h-26fv-mg7g"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-24421"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-285", "CWE-862" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-01-23T20:17:25Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-01-24T02:15:49Z"
  }
}