# CVE-2026-24420: phpMyFAQ: Attachment download allowed without dlattachment right (broken access control)

> Authenticated users lacking download permissions can access FAQ attachments due to flawed authorization checks in phpMyFAQ.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 Jan 2026
- **Updated:** 26 Jan 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-7p9h-m7m8-vhhv

## What is CVE-2026-24420?

CVE-2026-24420 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq, published on 24 Jan 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

phpMyFAQ is an open source FAQ web application. Versions 4.0.16 and below allow an authenticated user without the dlattachment permission to download FAQ attachments due to a incomprehensive permissions check. The presence of a right key is improperly validated as proof of authorization in attachment.php. Additionally, the group and user permission logic contains a flawed conditional expression that may allow unauthorized access. This issue has been fixed in version

Weakness: CWE-284 (Improper Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-24420?

4 open source packages ship an affected version, including phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq and thorsten/phpmyfaq. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq` | Packagist | All versions | 4.0.17 |
| `phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq` | Packagist | All versions | 4.0.17 |
| `thorsten/phpmyfaq` | Packagist | All versions | 4.0.17 |
| `thorsten/phpmyfaq` | Packagist | All versions | 4.0.17 |

Products: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-24420?

Upgrade phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq to 4.0.17 or later.

## Is CVE-2026-24420 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-24420 exists.

## 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-2026-24420 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-24420 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq, published on 24 Jan 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-24420 exists.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 4.0.17
- phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 4.0.17
- thorsten/phpmyfaq (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 4.0.17
- thorsten/phpmyfaq (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 4.0.17

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-2026-24420/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24420/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-24420
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-24420
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-24420

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24420/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.