CVE-2026-104412 in Ghost
Summary
by MITRE • 10/02/2026
Ghost 0.5.0 before 6.64.0 does not correctly restrict staff role assignment, allowing users with the Editor or Super Editor role to assign their own role to other staff despite lacking permission to do so. An authenticated Editor or Super Editor can promote Author and Contributor users to Editor or Super Editor.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/02/2026
The vulnerability identified in Ghost versions prior to 6.64.0 represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms, specifically within the role assignment subsystem of the content management platform. This flaw allows authenticated users holding elevated privileges, such as those with the Editor or Super Editor roles, to bypass intended permission boundaries and assign their own high-level roles to other staff members who lack the requisite authorization for such actions. The core technical issue stems from insufficient server-side validation when processing role modification requests. Instead of strictly enforcing a hierarchy where only users with Administrator privileges can alter role assignments across all levels, the application logic permits Editors and Super Editors to execute privilege escalation operations on Authors and Contributors. This misconfiguration effectively undermines the principle of least privilege, allowing lower-tier staff members to artificially inflate their own or others' access rights within the system.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability is classified under CWE-269, which denotes Improper Control of Interaction with Elevated Privileges. The flaw exploits the application's trust in user-supplied input regarding role identifiers without adequately verifying that the requesting user possesses the administrative authority to make such changes. By manipulating the API endpoints or interface controls responsible for staff management, an attacker can send requests that assign roles like Editor or Super Editor to accounts originally designated as Author or Contributor. This bypasses the intended security model where role assignments are strictly gated by higher-level permissions. The absence of robust authorization checks at the point of execution allows these unauthorized modifications to persist in the database, effectively granting the targeted users full access capabilities associated with those elevated roles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it facilitates both direct and indirect privilege escalation within the Ghost environment. An authenticated Editor or Super Editor can promote an Author or Contributor to a position that grants them extensive control over content publication, user management, and potentially system configuration depending on the specific permissions bundled with those roles. This capability enables malicious insiders or compromised accounts to escalate their privileges without detection by administrators who rely on standard audit logs for role changes. Once elevated, these users can create additional backdoor accounts, exfiltrate sensitive data, modify site configurations, or disrupt service availability. The ability to assign the Super Editor role is particularly dangerous as it often grants near-administrative capabilities, potentially leading to complete compromise of the hosting environment if further exploitation vectors exist within those higher-level permissions.
This behavior aligns with several techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework for enterprise security. Specifically, it corresponds to T1078, Valid Accounts, as the attacker utilizes legitimate credentials that have been improperly elevated through role manipulation. Furthermore, the act of assigning roles can be categorized under T1098, Account Manipulation, where an adversary alters existing accounts or creates new ones with increased privileges to maintain persistence and expand their foothold within the system. The vulnerability also reflects aspects of T1548, Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism, by exploiting flaws in how the operating system or application manages privilege levels. These classifications highlight that the issue is not merely a coding error but a fundamental breach in identity and access management protocols.
To mitigate this risk, organizations running Ghost versions prior to 6.64.0 must immediately upgrade to version 6.64.0 or later, where the role assignment logic has been corrected to enforce strict permission checks. Until an upgrade is feasible, administrators should review staff roles regularly and restrict access to user management interfaces to only those with explicit Administrator privileges. Implementing multi-factor authentication for all administrative accounts can reduce the risk of credential compromise leading to this exploitation. Additionally, deploying web application firewalls or intrusion detection systems that monitor for anomalous role assignment patterns may provide an additional layer of defense by alerting security teams to unauthorized privilege escalation attempts. Regular audits of user permissions and adherence to strict separation of duties principles are essential to prevent similar access control failures in the future.