# CVE-2026-111906: phpMyFAQ Elasticsearch/OpenSearch CSRF in admin API

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-111906-phpmyfaq-before-4-1-9-and-4-2-0-alpha-before-4-2-0-beta-contains  
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-2026-111906 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.5 · Published 2026-10-17

phpMyFAQ is a FAQ management system that supports Elasticsearch and OpenSearch for search functionality. An authenticated user with configuration permissions can be tricked into deleting search indexes or forcing resource-intensive re-indexing by visiting a malicious website, disrupting the search service without needing special technical access.

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

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-111906 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-111906 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-111906?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.5, published 17 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Thorsten phpMyFAQ before 4.1.9 and 4.2.0-alpha before 4.2.0-beta.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-111906?** Yes: fixed in phpMyFAQ 4.1.9, 4.2.0-beta. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-111906 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-111906?** 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 phpMyFAQ 4.1.9, 4.2.0-beta

## Technical details

The Elasticsearch and OpenSearch administration API endpoints in phpMyFAQ lack CSRF token validation on state-changing operations (create, drop, import). An attacker can craft a malicious page to trigger these actions against a user with CONFIGURATION_EDIT permission, requiring only network access and user interaction. This results in denial of service through index deletion or resource exhaustion, with a fix expected in versions 4.1.9 and 4.2.0-beta.

## Affected products

- thorsten phpMyFAQ before 4.1.9 and 4.2.0-alpha before 4.2.0-beta

## Timeline

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

## References

- [https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-cmvh-fpmf-8gfx](https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-cmvh-fpmf-8gfx)
- [https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phpmyfaq-before-4.1.9-and-4.2.0-alpha-before-4.2.0-beta-csrf-in-elasticsearch-opensearch-admin-api-index-operations](https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phpmyfaq-before-4.1.9-and-4.2.0-alpha-before-4.2.0-beta-csrf-in-elasticsearch-opensearch-admin-api-index-operations)

## 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)