CVE-2023-1882 in phpmyfaq
Summary
by MITRE • 04/05/2023
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - DOM in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.1.12.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-1882 represents a cross-site scripting flaw classified as DOM-based XSS within the thorsten/phpmyfaq repository. This issue affects versions prior to 3.1.12 and specifically targets the client-side scripting environment where user input is improperly handled in the document object model. The vulnerability arises when the application fails to adequately sanitize or escape user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamic web content, creating opportunities for malicious actors to inject harmful scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical flaw manifests in how the phpmyfaq application processes user input through DOM manipulation functions without proper validation or encoding mechanisms. When a user submits data that gets reflected or processed within the DOM structure, the application does not implement sufficient sanitization measures to prevent script execution. This allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that can be executed in the victim's browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or other malicious activities. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the DOM level rather than traditional server-side input handling, making it more subtle and potentially harder to detect through standard security measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users. An attacker could exploit this flaw to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or inject phishing content that appears legitimate to end users. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the application's user interface and can compromise the trust relationship between users and the application. Given that phpmyfaq is a knowledge base management system, successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive documentation, user data, or administrative functions, depending on the specific implementation details and user privileges.
Organizations utilizing affected versions of thorsten/phpmyfaq should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to version 3.1.12 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Security teams should implement comprehensive input validation routines that escape or sanitize all user-supplied data before DOM manipulation occurs, following established security practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1531 for "Account Access Removal" and T1566 for "Phishing" as potential exploitation vectors. Additional mitigations should include implementing Content Security Policy headers, regular security code reviews, and automated vulnerability scanning to prevent similar issues in future development cycles, ensuring that all DOM-based operations properly validate and sanitize input data to maintain application security integrity.