Is CVE-2026-85591 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-85591 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-85591?

Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 7.1, published 4 September 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

phpMyFAQ phpMyFAQ before 4.1.8.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-85591?

A patch was published on 2026-09-04: Version 4.1.8 patched Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

How is CVE-2026-85591 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-85591?

Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. 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.

CVE-2026-85591: phpMyFAQ unverified password change in user control panel API

CVE-2026-85591 · Severity: info · CVSS 7.1 · Published 2026-09-04

phpMyFAQ is a popular open-source FAQ management system used by organizations to build knowledge bases. An authentication bypass vulnerability allows attackers with access to a user's session to silently change account passwords—including administrator accounts—without verification of the current password. Once changed, the legitimate user is locked out, resulting in irreversible account takeover.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-85591 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-85591 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-85591?: Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 7.1, published 4 September 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: phpMyFAQ phpMyFAQ before 4.1.8.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-85591?: A patch was published on 2026-09-04: Version 4.1.8 patched Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-85591 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in a web application.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-85591?: Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. 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.

Technical details

This is a CWE-620 unverified password change vulnerability in the PUT /api/user/data/update endpoint. The vulnerable updateData() function verifies only the CSRF token and session ownership but does not call password_verify() to validate the current password before accepting a new one. An attacker with an active session and CSRF token can submit a JSON PUT request with a new password and confirmation, triggering $authDriver->update() to write a bcrypt hash without any current-password check. The attack requires network access, low-level privileges (any authenticated user), and no user interaction. Successful exploitation enables account takeover of any user including admins. phpMyFAQ 4.1.8 and later include patches; administrators should update immediately and consider invalidating all active sessions.

Affected products

phpMyFAQ phpMyFAQ before 4.1.8

Timeline

2026-08-20: disclosed
2026-09-04: advisory
2026-09-04: patched: Version 4.1.8 patched

References

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