CVE-2026-104415 in Ghost
Summary
by MITRE • 10/02/2026
Ghost from 0.7.2 before 6.64.0 contains an information disclosure vulnerability in the Admin API that allows staff-level users to determine the relative ordering of other staff users' password hashes. Authenticated staff users can query the Admin API to infer hash ordering, though this does not directly reveal hashes or enable practical password recovery.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/02/2026
The Ghost content management platform version 0.7.2 through 6.63.0 contains a significant information disclosure vulnerability within its administrative application programming interface that exposes subtle details about the internal state of user authentication mechanisms. This flaw specifically affects staff-level users, who are authenticated individuals with elevated privileges but restricted access compared to administrators. The core technical issue stems from how the system handles and returns data regarding password hashes during API queries. When a staff member interacts with specific endpoints designed for managing or viewing other staff accounts, the application inadvertently leaks metadata related to the cryptographic storage of passwords. This is not a direct extraction of plaintext credentials but rather an inference attack vector where the relative ordering of hash values can be determined through careful observation and analysis of response data.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability exploits timing differences or structural inconsistencies in how password hashes are processed and returned by the backend logic. Although modern systems typically use salted hashing algorithms like bcrypt to prevent rainbow table attacks and ensure uniqueness even for identical passwords, improper implementation can still leak information about hash strength or generation order if not handled uniformly across all user accounts. In this case, authenticated staff users can query the Admin API in a manner that allows them to infer whether one password hash is lexicographically greater than another. This capability arises because the system fails to abstract away these low-level cryptographic details from lower-privileged roles, violating the principle of least privilege and proper data abstraction layers within the application architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability lies in its potential contribution to broader credential compromise scenarios rather than immediate account takeover. While an attacker cannot directly reverse-engineer passwords from the hash values due to the one-way nature of secure hashing functions, knowing the relative ordering can aid in targeted brute-force or dictionary attacks by providing insights into password complexity patterns or algorithmic behaviors. For instance, if certain hashes consistently appear earlier or later than others based on known weak passwords, an attacker might refine their attack strategies to prioritize specific character sets or lengths that correlate with those positions. This is particularly dangerous in environments where staff members may have access to sensitive content and possess varying levels of trustworthiness, as a malicious insider could leverage this information to escalate privileges over time by identifying weaker accounts within the organization.
This vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-209, which describes an Information Exposure Through an Error Message or Other Unintended Data Leakage, although it more specifically relates to CWE-359 regarding exposure of private information through side channels or metadata leakage in authentication systems. Furthermore, from a threat modeling perspective using the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this behavior falls under T1078 Valid Accounts and potentially supports lateral movement techniques by allowing an attacker to map out user privilege levels based on hash characteristics. The vulnerability underscores the importance of ensuring that administrative interfaces do not expose internal implementation details that could be weaponized for reconnaissance purposes, even when direct exploitation is limited.
Mitigation strategies must focus on both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. The primary solution involves upgrading to Ghost version 6.64.0 or later, where this specific API behavior has been corrected to prevent the leakage of hash ordering information. For organizations unable to upgrade immediately, implementing strict access controls that limit which staff roles can query user management endpoints is essential. Additionally, developers should audit other areas of the codebase for similar patterns where sensitive cryptographic metadata might be exposed through error messages, response headers, or API payloads. Regular security audits and penetration testing focused on privilege escalation paths will help identify such weaknesses before they can be exploited by malicious insiders or compromised accounts. Ensuring that all administrative APIs adhere to strict data minimization principles is critical to maintaining the integrity of authentication systems in enterprise environments.