CVE-2026-35671 is a high-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in thorsten/phpmyfaq (composer), affecting versions < 4.1.3. It is fixed in 4.1.3.
Summary An Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR) vulnerability in phpMyFAQ's Admin API allows any authenticated administrator to change the password of any user account, including SuperAdmin accounts (userId=1), without authorization verification. An attacker with a low-privilege admin account can escalate privileges to full SuperAdmin control by simply changing the target user's ID in the API request body. Details File: phpmyfaq/src/phpMyFAQ/Controller/Administration/Api/UserController.php Lines: 232-271 The overwritePassword() method at line 232 accepts PUT requests to /admin/api/user/overwrite-password: #[Route(path: 'user/overwrite-password', name: 'admin.api.user.overwrite-password', methods: ['PUT'])] Root Causes: No verification that the requesting admin has permission to modify the target user's password No check that the target user has equal or lower privilege level The userId is taken directly from the request body without authorization context No multi-factor confirmation for privilege-escalating password changes PoC Prerequisites: Authenticated admin session with USEREDIT permission Step 1 - Obtain Admin Session: Log in as a low-privilege admin user (or exploit CVE-2026-XXXX-1 to take over any user first). Step 2 - Extract CSRF Token: CSRF token is embedded in admin pages: Step 3 - Change SuperAdmin Password: Response: {"success":"The password was successfully changed."} Step 4 - Account Takeover: Attacker now has SuperAdmin credentials and full control of phpMyFAQ. Who is Impacted: Organizations with multiple admin users where not all should have SuperAdmin access Any phpMyFAQ instance where privilege separation is configured Multi-tenant environments where users should only manage their own accounts Attack Complexity: Low - only requires a valid admin session with USEREDIT permission Privilege Escalation: Any admin user can become SuperAdmin regardless of their assigned permissions
The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.
CVE-2026-35671 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. 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 (4.1.3). Upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
composer
thorsten/phpmyfaq (< 4.1.3)phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq (< 4.1.3)thorsten/phpmyfaq → 4.1.3 (composer)phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq → 4.1.3 (composer)Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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 instead of chasing every advisory.
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Already deployed Kodem? See CVE-2026-35671 in your environment →Upgrade the following packages to resolve this vulnerability:
thorsten/phpmyfaq to 4.1.3 or laterphpmyfaq/phpmyfaq to 4.1.3 or laterKodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
CVE-2026-35671 is a high-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in thorsten/phpmyfaq (composer), affecting versions < 4.1.3. It is fixed in 4.1.3. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
CVE-2026-35671 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). 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.
thorsten/phpmyfaq (composer) (versions < 4.1.3)phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq (composer) (versions < 4.1.3)Yes. CVE-2026-35671 is fixed in 4.1.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
Whether CVE-2026-35671 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
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.
thorsten/phpmyfaq to 4.1.3 or laterphpmyfaq/phpmyfaq to 4.1.3 or later