CVE-2026-46362

phpMyFAQ has an Authorization Bypass in All Admin Pages Due to Non-Terminating Permission Check

Any authenticated admin user, even one with zero administrative permissions beyond basic login, can access every permission-protected admin page by simply requesting its URL. The permission check sends a forbidden page but does not stop execution, so the protected content is always appended to the response.

Exposed data includes:

• Admin logs: All admin users' IP addresses, actions, and timestamps
• User management: User accounts, email addresses, permissions
• System information: PHP configuration, database details, server paths
• Configuration: All application settings including security-sensitive values
• Backups: Database export functionality

This effectively renders the entire admin permission system non-functional for the 58 page controllers using AbstractAdministrationController.

The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions. Typical impact: unauthorized data access or execution of privileged operations.

CVE-2026-46362 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). 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 (4.1.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Add return after sending the forbidden response, and re-throw for the generic Exception case:

#[\Override]
protected function userHasPermission(PermissionType $permissionType): void
{
    try {
        parent::userHasPermission($permissionType);
    } catch (ForbiddenException $exception) {
        $response = $this->getForbiddenPage($exception->getMessage());
        $response->send();
        exit;  // Terminate execution to prevent controller from continuing
    } catch (Exception $exception) {
        $this->configuration->getLogger()->error($exception->getMessage());
        throw $exception;  // Re-throw to prevent controller from continuing
    }
}

A cleaner architectural fix would be to not swallow the exception at all, and instead let it propagate to the Symfony HttpKernel exception handler (which already handles ForbiddenException via WebExceptionListener):

#[\Override]
protected function userHasPermission(PermissionType $permissionType): void
{
    // Simply delegate to parent, let ForbiddenException propagate
    // to the WebExceptionListener which renders the appropriate error page
    parent::userHasPermission($permissionType);
}

Or remove the override entirely, since the WebExceptionListener registered in the Kernel already handles exception-to-response conversion.

1. What is CVE-2026-46362? CVE-2026-46362 is a medium-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq (composer), affecting versions <= 4.1.1. It is fixed in 4.1.2. The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-46362? CVE-2026-46362 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (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-2026-46362?
   • phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq (composer) (versions <= 4.1.1)
   • thorsten/phpmyfaq (composer) (versions <= 4.1.1)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-46362? Yes. CVE-2026-46362 is fixed in 4.1.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-46362 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-46362 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-2026-46362 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-2026-46362?
   • Upgrade phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq to 4.1.2 or later
   • Upgrade thorsten/phpmyfaq to 4.1.2 or later