CVE-2026-85586: Improper Control of Interaction Frequency in thorsten phpMyFAQ
Description
phpMyFAQ versions before 4.1.8 fail to validate CAPTCHA when the store parameter is set to 'now' in question submission requests. Unauthenticated attackers can bypass CAPTCHA protection and submit unlimited questions directly, causing database pollution and triggering outgoing mail notifications.
CVSS v4.0
Score 6.9medium
Affected software
thorsten
phpMyFAQ
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-85586 affects phpMyFAQ versions prior to 4.1.8. The vulnerability arises because the application fails to validate CAPTCHA when the 'store' parameter is set to 'now' in question submission requests. This flaw enables unauthenticated attackers to bypass CAPTCHA protections and submit an unlimited number of questions directly. The consequence is database pollution and the triggering of outgoing mail notifications, potentially causing resource exhaustion or spam issues.
Potential Impact
Attackers can submit unlimited questions without CAPTCHA verification, resulting in database pollution and triggering outgoing mail notifications. This may degrade system performance and cause unwanted email traffic. There is no indication of privilege escalation or direct data compromise from the provided information.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available in phpMyFAQ version 4.1.8. Users should upgrade to version 4.1.8 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Patch status is confirmed by the affectedVersions field indicating versions before 4.1.8 are vulnerable.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- VulnCheck
- Date Reserved
- 2026-09-04T10:56:22.465Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a9aad9eacd9273b4981d6f3
Added to database: 09/04/2026, 11:38:06 UTC
Last enriched: 09/14/2026, 23:59:45 UTC
Last updated: 10/18/2026, 06:48:20 UTC
Views: 72
Community Reviews
0 reviewsCrowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.
Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.
Actions
Updates to AI analysis require Pro Console access. Upgrade inside Console → Billing.
Need more coverage?
Upgrade to Pro Console for AI refresh and higher limits.
For incident response and remediation, OffSeq services can help resolve threats faster.
Latest Threats
Check if your credentials are on the dark web
Instant breach scanning across billions of leaked records. Free tier available.