CVE-2026-76206 in phpMyFAQ
Summary
by MITRE • 08/19/2026
phpMyFAQ versions before 4.1.7 fail to validate active status in the PDF export endpoint, allowing unauthenticated attackers to retrieve draft FAQ metadata. Attackers can access the public PDF export route with sequential FAQ identifiers to obtain titles, solution IDs, author names, and last-update timestamps of inactive or unpublished FAQs.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2026
The vulnerability identified in phpMyFAQ versions prior to 4.1.7 represents a critical failure in server-side access control mechanisms within the application's PDF export functionality. This flaw stems from an insufficient validation of the active status flag associated with FAQ entries when processing requests for document generation. In typical content management systems, draft or unpublished items are intended to remain invisible to unauthenticated users and often even to authenticated non-administrative users until they are explicitly published. However, in this specific implementation, the endpoint responsible for generating PDF exports does not enforce a check against the publication status of the requested FAQ item before retrieving its metadata from the database. This oversight allows any individual with network access to query the system without providing valid credentials or session tokens, effectively bypassing standard authentication and authorization layers that would otherwise restrict visibility to sensitive content.
From a technical perspective, this issue is classified as an improper access control vulnerability where the application fails to enforce proper restrictions on unauthenticated users accessing protected resources. The attacker exploits the predictable nature of sequential identifiers used for FAQ entries in the database. By iterating through these integer-based IDs using automated tools or simple scripts, an adversary can systematically request PDF exports for a range of identifier values. For each valid ID that exists within the system, regardless of whether its status is marked as active, draft, or unpublished, the server retrieves and returns the associated metadata. This includes sensitive information such as FAQ titles, solution identifiers, author names, and timestamps indicating when entries were last updated. The lack of validation on the active flag means that internal drafts, which may contain preliminary ideas, incomplete solutions, or confidential organizational knowledge not intended for public consumption, are exposed to the open internet.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant, particularly regarding data confidentiality and intellectual property protection. Organizations using phpMyFAQ often store proprietary information, customer support strategies, or sensitive procedural details within their FAQ database. The exposure of draft metadata can lead to several adverse outcomes. Competitors may gain insights into upcoming product features or service changes by analyzing the titles and timestamps of unpublished entries. Internal security postures could be compromised if drafts contain references to internal systems, IP addresses, or specific configuration details that were never meant for external review. Furthermore, the enumeration of valid FAQ IDs provides attackers with a map of the application's content structure, which can facilitate further reconnaissance activities such as targeted phishing campaigns using known author names or identifying high-value targets based on update frequency and topic relevance.
This vulnerability aligns closely with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) category CWE-284, which describes Improper Access Control, specifically falling under the sub-category of insufficient verification of data integrity for access control decisions. It also maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078, Valid Accounts, although in this case, no valid account is required due to the complete absence of authentication checks on the specific endpoint. The attack vector falls under Remote Code Execution or Data Exfiltration contexts depending on what additional data might be accessible through similar flaws, but primarily it constitutes a sensitive information disclosure event categorized under reconnaissance and collection phases in cyber kill chain models.
To mitigate this vulnerability, administrators must upgrade phpMyFAQ to version 4.1.7 or later, where the developers have implemented proper validation checks for the active status of FAQ entries within the PDF export endpoint. Until an update is applied, temporary mitigations include restricting access to the specific URL path associated with the PDF generation feature via web server configuration rules such as Nginx deny directives or Apache mod_rewrite conditions that block unauthenticated requests. Additionally, implementing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) rule to detect and block sequential enumeration patterns targeting integer-based identifiers can provide an additional layer of defense against automated scraping attempts. It is also recommended to review other endpoints for similar access control lapses ensuring that all data retrieval operations strictly enforce authentication and authorization checks based on the user's role and the resource's visibility status.