CVE-2024-22202

phpMyFAQ's user removal page allows an attacker to spoof another user's detail, and in turn make a compelling phishing case for removing another user's account.

Details

phpMyFAQ's user removal page allows an attacker to spoof another user's detail, and in turn make a compelling phishing case for removing another user's account. Whilst the front-end of this page doesn't allow changing the form details, an attacker can utilize a proxy to intercept this request and submit other data. Upon submitting this form, an email is sent to the administrator informing them that this user wants to delete their account. An administrator has no way of telling the difference between the actual user wishing to delete their account or the attacker issuing this for an account they do not control.

PoC

We are logged in as hacker and visit /user/request-removal. This brings us to the following page. We are not able to change the username, Your name and Your email address fields on this page.

However, we intercept this request using a proxy tool such as BurpSuite.

We can now edit the request before sending it. We change the fields mentioned above to the details of another user, and send the request.

This results in the following email being sent to the administrator. For them, it looks like the victim wants to delete their account.

The impact of this vulnerability is that administrators cannot trust the emails sent by the platform. An attacker can easily make a compelling case to perform phishing and get victim accounts deleted.

CVE-2024-22202 has a CVSS score of 5.7 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (3.2.5); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2024-22202? CVE-2024-22202 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq (composer), affecting versions < 3.2.5. It is fixed in 3.2.5.
2. How severe is CVE-2024-22202? CVE-2024-22202 has a CVSS score of 5.7 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq are affected by CVE-2024-22202? phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq (composer) versions < 3.2.5 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2024-22202? Yes. CVE-2024-22202 is fixed in 3.2.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2024-22202 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-22202 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2024-22202 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2024-22202? Upgrade phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq to 3.2.5 or later.