Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2026-105859: Payload: Unauthorized update to collection documents
Payload is a free and open source headless content management system.
CVSS 9.8 Critical EPSS 0.4% · p27
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.
- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 0.4%, percentile 27: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.4% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 27% of all scored CVEs (low). 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
payload(npm) < 3.90.0, fixed in 3.90.0;payload(npm) >= 4.0.0-canary.0, < 4.0.0-canary.34, fixed in 4.0.0-canary.34. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
Payload is a free and open source headless content management system. In versions before 3.90.0 and canary versions before 4.0.0-canary.34, an attacker can submit a request to a specific update endpoint that modifies collection documents without enforcing collection or field-level access control when orderable is enabled on a collection or join field. This issue is fixed in versions 3.90.0 and 4.0.0-canary.34.
From the GitHub advisory
Impact
An attacker can submit a request to a specific endpoint that permits collection documents to be updated regardless of access control and field level access control.
You are affected if:
- You are configuring orderable: true with any collection or join field.
Patches
Weakness type: CWE-639, CWE-862.
Product: payload (npm) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2026-10-06
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm | payload | < 3.90.0 | 3.90.0 |
| npm | payload | >= 4.0.0-canary.0, < 4.0.0-canary.34 | 4.0.0-canary.34 |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| payloadcms | payload | < 3.90.0, >= 4.0.0-canary.0, < 4.0.0-canary.34 |
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 none, automatable yes, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.35% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 27.
Timeline
- — CVE record last updated
- — CVE record published by GitHub_M
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-f7hx-52q9-hcrf published (critical)
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-f7hx-52q9-hcrf github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2026-105859 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2026-105859 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- github.com github.com
- github.com github.com
- github.com github.com