Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2026-55579: Pheditor: Hardcoded default password 'admin' with no forced change enables full application compromise
Pheditor is a single-file editor and file manager written in PHP.
CVSS 9.8 Critical EPSS 0.8% · p56
Should you act?
Critical and remotely reachable
No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- Not in CISA KEV, but CISA’s SSVC assessment records a public proof-of-concept, so attack code exists.
- EPSS 0.8%, percentile 56: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.8% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 56% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes
pheditor/pheditor(Composer (PHP)) >= 2.0.1, < 2.0.6, fixed in 2.0.6. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
Pheditor is a single-file editor and file manager written in PHP. From version 2.0.1 to before version 2.0.6, Pheditor ships with a hardcoded default password admin (SHA-512 hash stored at pheditor.php:11). There is no mechanism to force a password change on first login. Any deployment using the default credentials grants an attacker full access to the file editor, file upload, and terminal features, enabling arbitrary file read/write and remote code execution. This issue has been patched in version 2.0.6.
From the GitHub advisory
Summary
Pheditor ships with a hardcoded default password admin (SHA-512 hash stored at pheditor.php:11). There is no mechanism to force a password change on first login. Any deployment using the default credentials grants an attacker full access to the file editor, file upload, and terminal features, enabling arbitrary file read/write and remote code execution.
Details
Tested repository: https://github.com/pheditor/pheditor
Tested commit: e538f05b6faec99e5b23726bc9c17d6b57774297 (current HEAD on main)
Weakness type: CWE-798.
Product: pheditor/pheditor (Composer (PHP)) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2026-07-27
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composer (PHP) | pheditor/pheditor | >= 2.0.1, < 2.0.6 | 2.0.6 |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| pheditor | pheditor | >= 2.0.1, < 2.0.6 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_M | 3.1 | 9.8 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: none (no login)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: unchanged
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation poc, automatable yes, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.79% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 56.
Timeline
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-p4h7-p9rj-2pq2 published (critical)
- — CVE record last updated
- — CVE record published by GitHub_M
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vulnerability records
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-p4h7-p9rj-2pq2 github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2026-55579 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2026-55579 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- github.com github.com
- github.com github.com
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