# CVE-2026-34728: phpMyFAQ: Path Traversal - Arbitrary File Deletion in MediaBrowserController

> An attacker can delete arbitrary files on the server via path traversal in the media browser, potentially leading to data loss or service disruption.

- **Severity:** High 8.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 2 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 2 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-38m8-xrfj-v38x

## What is CVE-2026-34728?

CVE-2026-34728 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq, published on 2 Apr 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

phpMyFAQ is an open source FAQ web application. Prior to version 4.1.1, the MediaBrowserController::index() method handles file deletion for the media browser. When the fileRemove action is triggered, the user-supplied name parameter is concatenated with the base upload directory path without any path traversal validation. The FILTER_SANITIZE_SPECIAL_CHARS filter only encodes HTML special characters (&, ', ", <, >) and characters with ASCII value < 32, and does not prevent directory traversal sequences like ../. Additionally, the endpoint does not validate CSRF tokens, making it exploitable via CSRF attacks. This issue has been patched in version 4.1.1.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-34728?

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


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq` | Packagist | All versions | 4.1.1 |
| `phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq` | Packagist | All versions | 4.1.1 |

Products: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-34728?

Upgrade phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq to 4.1.1 or later.

## Is CVE-2026-34728 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-34728 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-2026-34728 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-34728 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq, published on 2 Apr 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-34728 exists.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 4.1.1
- phpmyfaq/phpmyfaq (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 4.1.1

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-2026-34728/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-34728/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-34728
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-34728
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-34728

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-34728/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.