# CVE-2026-76213: phpMyFAQ before 4.1.7 2FA Brute-Force via Session-Scoped Throttle

> Attackers with valid passwords can bypass two-factor authentication limits by resetting session-scoped failure counters, enabling unbounded TOTP code guessing.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/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:** 19 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-f98m-hcjv-7rp9, GHSA-xgjh-9vcx-v63q

## What is CVE-2026-76213?

CVE-2026-76213 is a critical vulnerability in Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq, published on 19 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

phpMyFAQ before 4.1.7 contains a brute-force vulnerability in the two-factor authentication step where the failure counter is session-scoped and reset on each successful password re-authentication. Attackers with a valid password can bypass the five-attempt limit by obtaining a fresh session cookie and repeatedly re-authenticating to reset the counter, enabling unbounded TOTP code guessing.

Weakness: CWE-307 (Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-76213?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-76213?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-76213 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-76213 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-76213 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-2026-76214](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76214/): phpMyFAQ before 4.1.7 WebAuthn Replay Attack via Challenge (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2023-5316](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5316/): Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - DOM in thorsten/phpmyfaq (critical 9.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-76213 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-76213 is a critical vulnerability in Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq, published on 19 Aug 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-2026-76213 exists.

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-2026-76213/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76213/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-76213
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-76213
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-76213

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76213/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.