CVE-2026-105678 in Ghost
Summary
by MITRE • 10/06/2026
Ghost is a Node.js content management system. From 0.5.0 until 6.64.0, staff users with the Editor or Super Editor role were able to assign their own role to Author and Contributor users, despite not having permission to assign that role. This issue is fixed in version 6.64.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/06/2026
The vulnerability identified within Ghost content management systems represents a critical failure in access control logic, specifically affecting the authorization mechanisms governing user role assignments. In versions ranging from 0.5.0 up to and including 6.64.0, the system failed to properly validate whether staff users holding Editor or Super Editor roles possessed the requisite permissions to modify the administrative privileges of other accounts. This flaw allowed these intermediate-level administrators to escalate their influence by assigning themselves elevated roles such as Author or Contributor to lower-privilege users like Authors and Contributors, effectively bypassing intended security boundaries. The core technical issue lies in a broken access control mechanism where the backend validation logic did not strictly enforce role hierarchy constraints during update operations on user profiles.
This type of vulnerability is formally classified under CWE-269, which denotes Improper Privilege Management. It also aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078, specifically Valid Accounts and potentially T1078.003 for Default Accounts if default roles were exploited, though the primary vector here is unauthorized privilege escalation through valid but insufficiently privileged accounts. The operational impact of this flaw is significant because it undermines the principle of least privilege that underpins secure system administration. An attacker or malicious insider with Editor-level access could manipulate user permissions to create backdoors, exfiltrate sensitive data, or disrupt content operations without triggering standard administrative alerts associated with high-privilege account changes.
The ability to reassign roles improperly can lead to a cascade of security failures. For instance, an attacker might assign themselves the Contributor role if that role had unintended write access in specific configurations, or more likely, they could manipulate the permission matrix to grant excessive rights to allied accounts. This erosion of trust within the administrative layer compromises the integrity of the entire content management workflow. Since Ghost is often used for publishing sensitive news, corporate communications, or personal blogs, such a breach can result in reputational damage and unauthorized publication of material that should have been restricted by higher-level administrators.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve upgrading to version 6.64.0 or later where this authorization check has been corrected. For organizations unable to immediately patch their systems due to compatibility concerns with legacy integrations, temporary mitigations include restricting access for Editor and Super Editor roles through network segmentation if possible, although application-level fixes are preferred. Administrators should also audit existing user role assignments to identify any unauthorized changes that may have occurred during the window of vulnerability. Implementing strict logging and monitoring for role modification events can help detect such anomalies in real-time, providing an additional layer of defense against privilege escalation attempts while ensuring compliance with security best practices outlined by industry standards like OWASP Access Control guidelines.