# CVE-2004-2255: Path traversal in n/a

> Remote attackers can read arbitrary files and potentially execute local PHP files via directory traversal in the action variable.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.4 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 17 Jul 2005
- **Updated:** 8 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j9vh-w3pf-6mgg

## What is CVE-2004-2255?

CVE-2004-2255 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq, published on 17 Jul 2005. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Directory traversal vulnerability in phpMyFAQ 1.3.12 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files, and possibly execute local PHP files, via the action variable, which is used as part of a template filename.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2004-2255?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq.

## How do I fix CVE-2004-2255?

No fix has been published for CVE-2004-2255 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2004-2255 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2004-2255 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq

- [CVE-2023-0310](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-0310/): Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Stored in thorsten/phpmyfaq (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-4407](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4407/): Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Reflected in thorsten/phpmyfaq (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-11187](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-11187/): Security feature bypass in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-76213](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76213/): phpMyFAQ before 4.1.7 2FA Brute-Force via Session-Scoped Throttle (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2026-76214](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76214/): phpMyFAQ before 4.1.7 WebAuthn Replay Attack via Challenge (critical 9.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2004-2255 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2004-2255 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq, published on 17 Jul 2005. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2004-2255 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-2255/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-2255/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2004-2255
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2004-2255
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2004-2255

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-2255/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.