VulnerabilityPublished 11 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-3946: PHPEMS · Cross-site Scripting

Affects PHPEMSSource CVE Database V5

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Public exploit available · CVSS 5.1 Medium.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

5.1Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 10% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P

Base metrics

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Passive
Vulnerable system confidentiality: None
Vulnerable system integrity: Low
Vulnerable system availability: None
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

Threat metrics

Exploit Maturity: POC

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable system is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed below, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed “remotely exploitable” and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker requires privileges that provide basic capabilities that are typically limited to settings and resources owned by a single low-privileged user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges has the ability to access only non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: Passive: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires limited interaction by the targeted user with the vulnerable system and the attacker’s payload. These interactions would be considered involuntary and do not require that the user actively subvert protections built into the vulnerable system.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact to the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Exploit Maturity: POC: Based on threat intelligence sources each of the following must apply: · Proof-of-concept is publicly available · No knowledge of reported attempts to exploit this vulnerability · No knowledge of publicly available solutions used to simplify attempts to exploit the vulnerability

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 11 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: evidence found.
CVSS exploit maturity: proof of concept public
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), CVSS vector, the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 30 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
PHPEMS	Affected =11.0	Fixed in–
GitHubshufenshui/CVE`pkg:github/shufenshui/CVE`Other threats	Affected =11.0	Fixed in–

CPE configurations (1)

cpe:2.3:a:phpems:phpems:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Apply official patches or updates from PHPEMS as soon as they become available to address the XSS vulnerability directly.
Implement robust input validation and output encoding on the 'askcontent' parameter to neutralize malicious scripts.
Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers.
Use web application firewalls (WAFs) configured to detect and block XSS attack patterns targeting the vulnerable endpoint.
Educate users about the risks of interacting with suspicious links or content within the PHPEMS application.
Conduct regular security assessments and code reviews focusing on input handling and output encoding in web applications.
Monitor logs and network traffic for signs of attempted exploitation or unusual activity related to the /index.php?ask=app-ask endpoint.
If immediate patching is not possible, consider temporarily disabling or restricting access to the vulnerable functionality to reduce exposure.

Description

A vulnerability was detected in PHPEMS 11.0. The affected element is an unknown function of the file /index.php?ask=app-ask. Performing a manipulation of the argument askcontent results in cross site scripting. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. The exploit is now public and may be used.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-3946 is the potential for attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the browsers of users interacting with the vulnerable PHPEMS application. This can lead to session hijacking, theft of sensitive information such as cookies or credentials, and unauthorized actions performed on behalf of the user. While the vulnerability does not directly affect the server's confidentiality or availability, successful exploitation can compromise user trust and lead to further attacks such as phishing or malware distribution. Organizations relying on PHPEMS 11.0 for enterprise management may face reputational damage, data leakage, and potential compliance violations if user data is compromised. The requirement for user interaction limits automated exploitation but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments where users are frequently exposed to the vulnerable interface. The availability of a public exploit increases the likelihood of opportunistic attacks, making timely remediation critical.

Summary

CVE-2026-3946 is a cross-site scripting vulnerability identified in PHPEMS version 11.0, a PHP-based enterprise management system. The vulnerability exists in the /index.php?ask=app-ask endpoint, where the 'askcontent' parameter is not properly sanitized or encoded before being reflected in the web page output. This flaw allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary JavaScript code that executes in the context of users visiting the affected page. The attack vector is network accessible (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), and does not require authentication (AT:N), but does require user interaction (UI:P) to trigger the malicious script. The vulnerability does not compromise confidentiality or availability directly but can lead to limited integrity impacts through session hijacking or manipulation of client-side data. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates no privileges required, no scope change, and partial impact on integrity via user interaction. Although no known exploits are currently active in the wild, a public exploit exists, increasing the risk of future attacks. The lack of available patches at the time of publication necessitates immediate mitigation efforts. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and output encoding in web applications to prevent XSS attacks.

References

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