CVE-2026-66397: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4cv6-9jjm-xp2g
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CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-66397 is a HIGH security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-66397 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-66397
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4cv6-9jjm-xp2g
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-66397

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

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-66397, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

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

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Software, 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

phpMyFAQ before 4.1.6 fails to validate path traversal sequences in the existing_image field during category updates, allowing authenticated attackers to delete arbitrary files by exploiting insufficient sanitization in Image::delete(). Attackers can delete the database.php configuration file to disable the installation gate and access the public setup wizard to create new superadmin accounts.

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-mh9w-5hr8-3272
NVD — CVE-2026-66397 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-66397
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phpmyfaq... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phpmyfaq-before-path-traversal-via-category-image-deletion

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-66397?
CVE-2026-66397 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-66397?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-66397?
CVE-2026-66397 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-66397?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. 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-4cv6-9jjm-xp2g",
  "modified" : "2026-07-27T18:31:49Z",
  "published" : "2026-07-27T18:31:49Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-66397" ],
  "details" : "phpMyFAQ before 4.1.6 fails to validate path traversal sequences in the existing_image field during category updates, allowing authenticated attackers to delete arbitrary files by exploiting insufficient sanitization in Image::delete(). Attackers can delete the database.php configuration file to disable the installation gate and access the public setup wizard to create new superadmin accounts.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/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" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-mh9w-5hr8-3272"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-66397"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phpmyfaq-before-path-traversal-via-category-image-deletion"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-07-27T16:18:12Z"
  }
}