CVE-2023-5319Network attack vector

Stored XSS via unescaped display name

Published Sep 30, 2023 · Updated Sep 23, 2024

Stored XSS in phpMyFAQ before 3.1.18 allows remote authenticated users to execute script in an administrator's browser via a display name. The get_user_data action in admin/ajax.user.php returns the stored display_name field without converting HTML metacharacters, while the fix applies Strings::htmlentities(). A low-privileged account and an administrator viewing the affected record are required; script execution is confined to the viewer's browser context.

CVSS severity5.4
Medium
EPSS probability0.48%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Stored XSS in phpMyFAQ before 3.1.18 allows remote authenticated users to execute script in an administrator's browser via a display name. The get_user_data action in admin/ajax.user.php returns the stored display_name field without converting HTML metacharacters, while the fix applies Strings::htmlentities(). A low-privileged account and an administrator viewing the affected record are required; script execution is confined to the viewer's browser context.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-5319
Published
Sep 30, 2023
Updated
Sep 23, 2024
Vendor
Thorsten Rinne
Product
phpMyFAQ
Classifications
CWE-79, T1059.007
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 30, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 23, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <3.1.18

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Thorsten Rinne · phpMyFAQversion=unspecified <3.1.18

Published CVSS scores

5.4NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
8.3huntr.devCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-79Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
T1059.007JavaScript/JScript

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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