# CVE-2026-111897: phpMyFAQ authorization bypass in attachment administration

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-111897-phpmyfaq-4-2-0-alpha-before-4-2-0-beta-contains-an-authorization  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-17. Updated: 2026-10-17  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-111897 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.1 · Published 2026-10-17

phpMyFAQ is a FAQ management system that allows administrators to organize and control content across different categories. A vulnerability in versions 4.2.0-alpha through early 4.2.0-beta allows editors with restricted permissions to upload or delete attachments on FAQ entries outside their assigned categories. An attacker with medium-level permissions can exploit this to modify or remove files on unauthorized content, causing data loss and service disruption.

Technologies: [Thorsten phpMyFAQ](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/phpmyfaq). Vendors: [Thorsten](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/thorsten).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-111897 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-111897 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-111897?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.1, published 17 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Thorsten phpMyFAQ 4.2.0-alpha through before 4.2.0-beta.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-111897?** Yes: fixed in 4.2.0-beta. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-111897 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-111897?** Check whether you run Thorsten phpMyFAQ at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- Fixed in 4.2.0-beta

## Technical details

This is a missing authorization vulnerability (CWE-862) in the attachment administration endpoints. The upload and delete handlers check only global attachment permissions but fail to verify that the parent FAQ belongs to an authorized category for the requesting user. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can craft requests with an arbitrary record_id or attachment ID to bypass category restrictions and tamper with attachments.

## Affected products

- thorsten phpMyFAQ 4.2.0-alpha through before 4.2.0-beta

## Timeline

- 2026-10-03: disclosed
- 2026-10-17: advisory

## References

- [https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-hj8v-cg6r-gg6q](https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-hj8v-cg6r-gg6q)
- [https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phpmyfaq-4.2.0-alpha-before-4.2.0-beta-authorization-bypass-in-attachment-administration-endpoints](https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phpmyfaq-4.2.0-alpha-before-4.2.0-beta-authorization-bypass-in-attachment-administration-endpoints)

## Related threats

- [phpMyFAQ insufficient authorization in group deletion](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-124433-phpmyfaq-before-4-1-11-contains-an-insufficient-authorization)
- [phpMyFAQ WebAuthn account enumeration in prepare-login](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-124432-phpmyfaq-4-1-9-before-4-1-11-and-4-2-0-pre-releases-before-4-2-0)
- [phpMyFAQ authorization bypass in attachment downloads](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-111910-phpmyfaq-before-4-1-9-and-4-2-0-alpha-before-4-2-0-beta-contains)
- [phpMyFAQ missing authorization in deleteUser API](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-111909-phpmyfaq-before-4-1-9-contains-a-missing-authorization)
- [phpMyFAQ broken object-level authorization in FAQ update API](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-111908-phpmyfaq-4-0-0-before-4-1-9-and-4-2-0-alpha-before-4-2-0-beta)