CVE-2026-66397 | phpMyFAQ before 4.1.6 fails to validate path traversal seque… | CVSS 8.6 HIGH

Description

phpMyFAQ before 4.1.6 fails to validate path traversal sequences in the existing_image field during category updates, allowing authenticated attackers to delete arbitrary files by exploiting insufficient sanitization in Image::delete(). Attackers can delete the database.php configuration file to disable the installation gate and access the public setup wizard to create new superadmin accounts.

Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2026-66397
State: PUBLISHED
Assigner: VulnCheck
Reserved: 2026-07-26 12:22 UTC
Published: 2026-07-27 15:43 UTC
Last updated: 2026-07-28 01:06 UTC
Primary CWE: CWE-22
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory …
Vendor / Product: thorsten / phpMyFAQ
Sources: cve.org · NVD

Severity & Metrics

8.6 HIGH CVSS 4.0

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

SSVC — CISA Coordinator

Exploitation: PoC
Automatable: no
Tech. Impact: total

Affected products (1)

Vendor	Product	Platform	Versions
thorsten	phpMyFAQ	—	0 < 4.1.6, 4.1.6

Weakness (CWE)

CWE	Source	Description
CWE-22	cna	Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

CVSS scores (1)

Score	Severity	Version	Source	Vector
8.6	HIGH	4.0	cna	CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

References (2)

GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-mh9w-5hr8-3272) https://github.com/thorsten/phpMyFAQ/security/advisories/GHSA-mh9w-5hr8-3272
VulnCheck Advisory: phpMyFAQ before 4.1.6 Path Traversal via category image deletion https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phpmyfaq-before-path-traversal-via-category-image-deletion