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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2026-57961 phpMyFAQ CVE debrief

A path traversal vulnerability exists in phpMyFAQ before 4.1.5. The vulnerability is located in the concatenatePaths() function within src/phpMyFAQ/Export/Pdf/Wrapper.php. A user with FAQ editing privileges can store HTML containing crafted image paths that are processed during PDF generation. The path resolution logic locates the substring 'content' within a user-controlled path using strpos(); when 'content' is absent, strpos() returns false, which becomes 0 when cast to an integer, preserving the entire attacker-controlled path.

Vendor
phpMyFAQ
Product
Unknown
CVSS
MEDIUM 5.1
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2026-07-10
Original CVE updated
2026-07-10
Advisory published
2026-07-10
Advisory updated
2026-07-10

Who should care

Users of phpMyFAQ before version 4.1.5 who have FAQ editing privileges should be aware of this vulnerability. This vulnerability may allow reading of files outside the intended content directory.

Technical summary

The concatenatePaths() function in src/phpMyFAQ/Export/Pdf/Wrapper.php does not properly validate user-controlled paths during PDF generation. Specifically, it uses strpos() to locate the substring 'content' within the path. If 'content' is not found, strpos() returns false, which is then cast to an integer (0), allowing the entire attacker-controlled path to be preserved. This path is later passed to file_get_contents() without proper canonicalization or root-directory containment validation.

Defensive priority

Medium priority should be given to updating phpMyFAQ to version 4.1.5 or later. Users with FAQ editing privileges should be cautious when storing HTML containing image paths.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Update phpMyFAQ to version 4.1.5 or later
  • Restrict FAQ editing privileges to trusted users
  • Monitor PDF generation and file access for suspicious activity
  • Implement additional validation and sanitization of user-controlled paths
  • Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up
  • Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified
  • Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review

Evidence notes

The CVE record was published on 2026-07-10T15:16:47.057Z and was last modified on 2026-07-10T17:41:47.303Z. The NVD entry is currently Deferred. Limited source detail is available. Evidence limits and defensive verification tasks suggest confirming affected product deployments exist in managed environments, reviewing official advisories, and tracking exceptions.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2026-57961 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-57961

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2026-57961 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-57961

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.