dbcve.org
Missing AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-862

CVE-2026-56396

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
phpMyFAQ before 4.1.4 contains missing authorization vulnerabilities in editUser() and updateUserRights() endpoints that allow authenticated administrators to escalate privileges. Non-SuperAdmin users with edit_user permission can set is_superadmin flag or grant arbitrary rights to escalate to SuperAdmin access.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

phpMyFAQ before 4.1.4 has missing authorization checks in editUser() and updateUserRights() functions that allow authenticated administrators with edit_user permission to escalate privileges to SuperAdmin by setting the is_superadmin flag or granting arbitrary rights.

MitigationUpgrade to phpMyFAQ 4.1.4 or later which includes proper authorization validation, or implement server-side authorization checks in editUser() and updateUserRights() to prevent non-SuperAdmin users from modifying superadmin status or granting elevated privileges.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify phpMyFAQ installation and version
    Locate the phpMyFAQ installation directory and check the version file (commonly VERSION or similar file in the root directory, or check the admin dashboard version display)
    Affected if The installed version is below 4.1.4
  2. Verify edit_user permission configuration
    Access the phpMyFAQ admin panel and navigate to User Administration or Permissions settings to examine which roles or users have the edit_user permission assigned
    Affected if Non-SuperAdmin users or roles are granted the edit_user permission
  3. Check for presence of vulnerable functions
    Examine the source code files in the phpMyFAQ installation, typically in the /src or /admin directory, for the editUser() and updateUserRights() functions and inspect their authorization logic
    Affected if The functions lack proper SuperAdmin authorization checks before allowing modification of is_superadmin flag or rights assignments
  4. Audit user privilege assignments
    Query the user database table (often named like FAQuser or similar) to identify any users with is_superadmin=1 who should not have SuperAdmin privileges, or check the rights table for unexpected elevated permissions
    Affected if Users with edit_user permission but without proper SuperAdmin status have been granted SuperAdmin flags or elevated rights

You are affected if phpMyFAQ version is below 4.1.4 AND any non-SuperAdmin administrator has edit_user permission, as they can escalate to SuperAdmin through the vulnerable functions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to phpMyFAQ 4.1.4 or later which includes proper authorization validation, or implement server-side authorization checks in editUser() and updateUserRights() to prevent non-SuperAdmin users from modifying superadmin status or granting elevated privileges.

Recommended fix High confidence

phpMyFAQ 4.1.4

  1. Verify current phpMyFAQ version by checking the admin dashboard or configuration files
  2. Backup the entire phpMyFAQ installation directory and database before upgrading
  3. Download phpMyFAQ version 4.1.4 from the official GitHub repository or distribution channel
  4. Replace the existing phpMyFAQ files with the new version 4.1.4 files
  5. Run any database migration scripts included in the 4.1.4 release if required
  6. Log in as an administrator and verify the editUser() and updateUserRights() endpoints now properly enforce authorization checks
  7. Confirm that non-SuperAdmin users with edit_user permission can no longer modify the is_superadmin flag or grant arbitrary SuperAdmin rights
Caveat Review the 4.1.4 release notes for any breaking changes or backward compatibility concerns before upgrading in production environments

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-56396 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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