CVE-2024-56199

Due to insufficient validation on the content of new FAQ posts, it is possible for authenticated users to inject malicious HTML or JavaScript code that can impact other users viewing the FAQ. This vulnerability arises when user-provided inputs in FAQ entries are not sanitized or escaped before being rendered on the page.

Details

An attacker can inject malicious HTML content into the FAQ editor at http://localhost/admin/index.php?action=editentry, resulting in a complete disruption of the FAQ page's user interface. By injecting malformed HTML elements styled to cover the entire screen, an attacker can render the page unusable. This injection manipulates the page structure by introducing overlapping buttons, images, and iframes, breaking the intended layout and functionality.

PoC

1. In the source code of a FAQ Q&A post, insert the likes of this snippet:

<p>&lt;--`<img src="&#96;"> --!&gt;</p>
<div style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;"><form><button>HTML INJECTION 1<img> <img> <img> <img> <iframe></iframe></button>
<div style="xg-p: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;">x</div>
<button>HTML INJECTION 2<iframe></iframe> <iframe></iframe> </button></form></div>

2. A normal user would see the broken FAQ page, or otherwise manipulated by the attacker to present a different malicious page:

A demo (fresh install overwrites every 24hours) here: https://roy.demo.phpmyfaq.de/content/1/24/en/24.html?

Exploiting this issue can lead to Denial of Service for legitimate users, damage to the user experience, and potential abuse in phishing or defacement attacks.

Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session. Typical impact: session or credential theft, and actions taken as the user.

CVE-2024-56199 has a CVSS score of 5.2 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, high 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. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2024-56199? CVE-2024-56199 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq (composer), affecting versions >= 3.2.10, <= 4.0.1. No fixed version is listed yet. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
2. How severe is CVE-2024-56199? CVE-2024-56199 has a CVSS score of 5.2 (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 packages are affected by CVE-2024-56199?
   • phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq (composer) (versions >= 3.2.10, <= 4.0.1)
   • thorsten/phpmyfaq (composer) (versions >= 3.2.10, <= 4.0.1)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2024-56199? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2024-56199 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
5. Is CVE-2024-56199 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-56199 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-2024-56199 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-2024-56199? No fixed version is listed yet. In the interim: Validate and encode untrusted input before rendering it as HTML. Applying a Content Security Policy reduces the impact if encoding is bypassed.