# CVE-2026-109573: phpMyFAQ before 4.1.9 SQL Injection via api/autocomplete Search Endpoint

> Unauthenticated attackers can exploit SQL injection in the autocomplete endpoint to read secrets and modify data if the database uses NO_BACKSLASH_ESCAPES mode.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.2 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 12 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 13 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2v8j-hf72-c5w9, GHSA-98p2-cg7p-h385

## What is CVE-2026-109573?

CVE-2026-109573 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability in thorsten phpMyFAQ, published on 12 Oct 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

phpMyFAQ before 4.1.9 contains an SQL injection vulnerability in PdoMysql::escape(), which escapes single quotes with backslashes that are treated literally when MySQL or MariaDB runs in NO_BACKSLASH_ESCAPES mode. Unauthenticated attackers can send a Unicode right single quotation mark in the search parameter of api/autocomplete, which is normalized to an ASCII quote, to read credentials and configuration secrets, modify records, or drop tables.

Weakness: CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-109573?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-109573?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-109573 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-109573 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-109573 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-109573 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-109573 is a critical SQL injection vulnerability in thorsten phpMyFAQ, published on 12 Oct 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-109573 exists.

Affected product: thorsten 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-2026-109573/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-109573/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-109573
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-109573
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-109573

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-109573/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.