Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-0789

RCE in Phpmyfaq ≤ 3.1.11

RCECommand Injection
Published
12 February 2023
Modified
21 March 2025
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.017 75th percentile
Risk Priority 68 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-0789 is a high-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) vulnerability in Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq. Its CVSS base score is 8.1 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 25% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2023-0789 is a command injection vulnerability, tracked as CWE-77, that affects the phpMyFAQ application in the thorsten/phpmyfaq GitHub repository for all versions prior to 3.1.11. The flaw stems from insufficient neutralization of special elements in commands and carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.1 reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, and low required privileges.

An authenticated attacker with low privileges can send crafted input over the network to execute arbitrary system commands, resulting in high impact to confidentiality and integrity on the underlying server while leaving availability unaffected.

The issue was resolved by a specific commit in the repository that patches the command injection path, with the fix publicly referenced in the associated huntr.dev bounty report; administrators should upgrade to phpMyFAQ 3.1.11 or apply the equivalent patch.

EPSS for the CVE has remained flat at 0.0776 with no material rise after disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Command Injection in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.1.11.

CWE(s)
CWE-77

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.008 Network Device CLI Execution
Adversaries may abuse scripting or built-in command line interpreters (CLI) on network devices to execute malicious command and payloads.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-0792Same product: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq
CVE-2023-0788Same product: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq
CVE-2026-24421Same product: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq
CVE-2026-27836Same product: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq
CVE-2024-22208Same product: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq
CVE-2026-32629Same product: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq
CVE-2023-1758Same product: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq
CVE-2024-28105Same product: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq
CVE-2023-5227Same product: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq
CVE-2025-62519Same product: Phpmyfaq Phpmyfaq

Affected Assets

phpmyfaq
phpmyfaq
≤ 3.1.11

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.2.3
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V1.2.9

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and neutralization that prevent command injection.

DE.CM-09 partial match
prevents

Runtime monitoring of software and data can detect anomalous command execution resulting from injection.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Identifying recorded vulnerabilities enables remediation of command-injection flaws before exploitation.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.28 Secure coding mostly match
prevents

Secure coding standards require proper escaping and parameterization of commands, directly eliminating CWE-77.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development catches command-injection vulnerabilities before release.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and command construction practices that directly prevent command injection.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection flaws including command injection.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles reduce the attack surface but do not prescribe the specific neutralization techniques needed.

A.8.31 Separation of development, test and production environments none match
none

Environment separation limits the blast radius of an exploited command injection but does not prevent the flaw itself.

References