# CVE-2026-85588: phpMyFAQ before 4.1.8 TOTP Secret Exposure via Data Export

> Attackers can extract TOTP secrets from user data exports to bypass two-factor authentication in phpMyFAQ.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 4 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 14 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-prvh-6vp9-668j, GHSA-xhgx-2wj8-g4pj

## What is CVE-2026-85588?

CVE-2026-85588 is a medium-severity vulnerability in thorsten phpMyFAQ, published on 4 Sep 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

phpMyFAQ versions before 4.1.8 include live TOTP shared secrets in plaintext within user data export ZIP files. Attackers obtaining exported archives can extract the TOTP seed and generate valid one-time codes to bypass two-factor authentication.

Weakness: CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-85588?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-85588?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-85588 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-85588 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-85588 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-85588 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-85588 is a medium-severity vulnerability in thorsten phpMyFAQ, published on 4 Sep 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-85588 in the wild and no public exploit code.

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-2026-85588/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-85588/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-85588
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-85588
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-85588

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-85588/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.