CVE-2026-85588: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in thorsten phpMyFAQ
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.
CVSS v4.0
Score 5.3medium
Affected software
thorsten
phpMyFAQ
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-85588 affects phpMyFAQ versions prior to 4.1.8 by including live TOTP shared secrets in plaintext inside user data export ZIP files. An attacker with access to these exported archives can extract the TOTP seed and generate valid one-time passwords, bypassing two-factor authentication protections. This exposure compromises the confidentiality of the TOTP secrets and undermines the security of the authentication process.
Potential Impact
Attackers who obtain user data export ZIP files can retrieve the plaintext TOTP shared secrets, allowing them to generate valid one-time codes and bypass two-factor authentication. This compromises account security by enabling unauthorized access without needing the user's password or physical token.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade phpMyFAQ to version 4.1.8 or later, where this issue is fixed. Versions before 4.1.8 are vulnerable. There is no indication of a temporary workaround; applying the official fix is recommended.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- VulnCheck
- Date Reserved
- 2026-09-04T10:59:00.161Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a9aada1acd9273b4981d9f5
Added to database: 09/04/2026, 11:38:09 UTC
Last enriched: 09/14/2026, 23:28:01 UTC
Last updated: 10/17/2026, 18:48:23 UTC
Views: 70
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