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phpMyFAQ before 4.1.5 contains an authenticated path traversal vulnerability in the PDF export functionality, specifically within the PDF image resolution logic of the `concatenatePaths()` function. This issue may allow a privileged FAQ editor to cause the application to attempt reading files outside the intended content directory during PDF generation.
The root cause lies in the path resolution logic of the `concatenatePaths()` function located in src/phpMyFAQ/Export/Pdf/Wrapper.php. The function relies on locating the substring `”content”` within a user-controlled path using strpos(). When `”content”` is not present, `strpos()` returns false, which becomes `0` when cast to an integer. As a result, the entire attacker-controlled path is preserved without sanitization. For example, if $trimmedFile = "../../../etc/passwd", the `$pos` becomes false, and `$relativePath` becomes "../../../etc/passwd". This path is later passed to `file_get_contents()` without canonicalization or a root-directory containment check.
The observed data flow is as follows: FAQ Content → PDF Export → `WriteHTML()` → `Wrapper::Image()` → `concatenatePaths()` → file_get_contents(). Based on code review, a user with FAQ editing privileges can store HTML containing crafted image paths that are processed during PDF generation. Potential consequences may include path traversal outside the intended content directory, local file read attempts during PDF export, and possible disclosure of readable files depending on file type, sanitization behavior, and PDF rendering constraints.
This issue was initially detected by an internally developed SAST tool during analysis of the phpMyFAQ source code and manually validated through code review. The vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-57961 and is classified under CWE-22 (Path Traversal). Exploitation requires a user with FAQ editing privileges and is therefore not considered an anonymous or unauthenticated attack vector.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: phpMyFAQ
Version: < 4.1.5
Vulnerability: Path Traversal
Severity: Medium
Date: 2026-07-10
Prediction: 2026-07-15
What Undercode Say:
Check phpMyFAQ version grep -r "\$phpmyFAQVersion" /path/to/phpmyfaq/ Search for vulnerable concatenatePaths function grep -r "concatenatePaths" /path/to/phpmyfaq/src/phpMyFAQ/Export/Pdf/Wrapper.php Test for path traversal (requires authenticated FAQ editor) curl -X POST "https://target/phpmyfaq/admin/index.php?action=savefaq" \ -H "Cookie: PHPSESSID=authenticated_session" \ -d "content=<img src=\"../../../etc/passwd\">"
Exploit: (Educational Purposes!)
- Authenticate as a user with FAQ editing privileges.
- Create or modify a FAQ entry with HTML content containing an `
` tag with a crafted relative path that does not include the `content` directory reference.
3. Example payload: `
`.
- The HTML content is stored and later processed by the PDF export functionality.
- When a user requests the PDF version of the FAQ, the application invokes
WriteHTML(), which reachesWrapper::Image().
6. `concatenatePaths()` constructs a filesystem path without canonicalization or directory containment validation. - The resulting path reaches
file_get_contents(), causing the application to attempt reading a file outside the intended content directory. - Depending on sanitization behavior, file permissions, image validation, and PDF rendering behavior, the contents of the targeted file may potentially be exposed to the PDF consumer.
Protection:
- Upgrade to phpMyFAQ version 4.1.5 or later.
- Replace substring-based path anchoring with `realpath()` canonicalization.
- Implement strict root-directory containment checks.
- Use explicit allowlisting of permitted image locations.
- Enforce the principle of least privilege, limiting editing privileges to only those users who absolutely require them.
- Maintain comprehensive logging of file system operations to detect potential exploitation attempts.
Impact:
Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-57961 allows authenticated attackers with FAQ editing privileges to read arbitrary files from the server’s file system. This could expose sensitive information such as configuration files, database credentials, application source code, or other confidential data stored on the server. The vulnerability creates a persistent risk since it only requires authentication privileges rather than elevated system access, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users have editing rights.
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Sources:
Reported By: github.com
Extra Source Hub:
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