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Ghost CMS EUVDEUVD-2026-90660

| CVE-2026-103266 HIGH
Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863)
2026-10-01 VulnCheck GHSA-gw54-gv3c-2g94
7.1
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Reach public Stripe Checkout endpoint (unauthenticated)
  2. Delivery
    Inject HTML/JS via member name/content
  3. Exploit
    Attach subscription to existing member
  4. Execution
    Ghost sends newsletter to member
  5. Persist
    Recipient opens email
  6. Impact
    Email client renders payload (XSS/HTML injection)

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization logic validation
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Requires a Ghost instance (5.2.0 through <6.62.0) with Stripe-backed paid memberships enabled (the publicly reachable Stripe Checkout flow is the entry point) and the newsletter feature in use, since delivery of the injected content depends on a newsletter being sent to the targeted member. Exploitation is limited by: (1) victim interaction - a newsletter recipient must open the email (UI:P); and (2) the recipient's email client - script execution (XSS) only occurs in clients that render the injected markup, otherwise impact degrades to HTML injection/content spoofing. No attacker authentication is required (PR:N).

Impact

This is a genuine but conditional-impact issue rather than a drop-everything emergency. The vendor CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N, 7.1) correctly captures the key traits: fully remote, low complexity, no privileges required (PR:N) - consistent with the description's 'without authentication' - but it DOES require passive victim interaction (UI:P), namely a newsletter recipient opening the email. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit code are present in the supplied intelligence, so by the precision rules this is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' The real-world severity is further tempered by a dependency chain the CVSS score cannot express: the XSS only fires 'depending on the recipient's email client' - most modern webmail clients (Gmail, Outlook.com) strip or sandbox script, so the practical outcome for many targets degrades to HTML injection / content spoofing rather than script execution. The most reliable impact is therefore integrity abuse (attaching paid subscriptions to arbitrary existing members, altering member names, injecting newsletter content), which matches the high integrity weighting (VI:H). Note a labeling conflict to verify: the CWE is CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) and the Tags include 'Authentication Bypass,' yet the mechanism is abuse/misauthorization of an unauthenticated Stripe Checkout flow plus output injection - not a true authentication bypass. Treat this as a medium-priority patch for Ghost instances that have Stripe-backed paid memberships and newsletters enabled.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unauthenticated attacker drives Ghost's public Stripe Checkout flow to attach a paid subscription to an existing member they do not own and overwrite that member's display name with an HTML/JavaScript payload. When Ghost later sends a newsletter that echoes the attacker-controlled member/content fields, a recipient opening the email in a permissive email client renders the injected markup, yielding HTML injection or XSS. No public proof-of-concept is identified in the supplied data; exploitation requires a victim to open the newsletter (UI:P).

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 01, 2026

Unauthenticated remote attackers can abuse the Stripe Checkout flow in Ghost CMS versions 5.2.0 through those prior to 6.62.0 to attach a paid subscription to an existing member account, change that member's stored name, and inject attacker-controlled markup into newsletters subsequently sent to that member. Depending on the recipient's email client, the injected content may render, degrading into HTML injection/content spoofing and, in clients that execute embedded script, cross-site scripting (XSS). Exploitation requires a Ghost instance with Stripe-backed paid memberships enabled and the newsletter feature in active use, plus a newsletter recipient opening the message (UI:P), so impact is conditional rather than immediate; no public exploit code was identified at time of analysis and the issue is not confirmed actively exploited (CISA KEV).

RemediationAI

Upgrade Ghost to 6.62.0 or later, the first release outside the affected range and the vendor-released fix per the GitHub security advisory GHSA-qppx-rw6v-xjqf. If an upgrade cannot be applied immediately, the most effective compensating control is to disable Stripe-backed paid memberships so the vulnerable Checkout completion path is unreachable, at the cost of losing paid subscription revenue and checkout functionality until patched; alternatively, pause outbound newsletters, which removes the delivery vector for the injected content but leaves the subscription and member-name manipulation possible. Administrators who cannot disable either feature should treat the affected instance as untrusted-input-bearing, review member records for unexpected name changes or subscription attachments, and validate outbound newsletter content, understanding that these are detective controls rather than true mitigations. Apply the vendor advisory, and monitor the referenced VulnCheck advisory for any updated guidance; note that no public exploit code was identified at time of analysis, so prioritization should be driven by whether Stripe paid memberships and newsletters are enabled on a given instance.

Affected VersionsENISA

Ghost 5.2.0 <6.62.0

Affected Packages

euvd ghost fix: 6.62.0

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The root cause is an authorization flaw classed as CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) in Ghost's integration with Stripe Checkout for paid memberships. Ghost 5.2.0 introduced the affected checkout handling, and the flow does not adequately bind a completed Stripe Checkout session to the member identity that legitimately initiated it, letting an unauthenticated party complete a purchase that is applied to a pre-existing member record. That improper authorization permits three chained effects: subscription attachment to another member's account, modification of that member's name field, and storage of attacker-supplied content that is later emitted in newsletter email bodies. The stored-content path is what elevates the issue toward HTML injection/XSS, with the outcome determined by the recipient's mail client rendering behavior rather than by the server. The supplied CVSS v4.0 vector (7.1, AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P, VI:H) aligns with the independent CVSS 3.1 assessment (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N): both confirm network reachability, no attacker authentication, and required victim interaction, with the highest-rated impact being to integrity rather than confidentiality or availability. CPE data identifies the affected package as cpe:2.3:a:tryghost:ghost.

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 7.1 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 6.1 MEDIUM

Unauthenticated remote abuse (PR:N) needing a recipient to open the newsletter (UI:R); payload executes in the email-client context (S:C) with HTML/XSS injection impacting confidentiality and integrity at low; vendor rates integrity higher (VI:H).

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Passive
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
Low
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 01, 2026 - 11:01 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 01, 2026 - 10:42 cve.org
HIGH 7.1

DescriptionCVE.org

Ghost versions 5.2.0 through versions prior to 6.62.0 allow a remote attacker, without authentication, to abuse the Stripe Checkout flow to attach a paid subscription to an existing member, modify that member's name, and inject content into newsletters sent to the member. Depending on the recipient's email client, the injected content may be rendered, resulting in HTML injection or cross-site scripting (XSS).

Technical POC Analysis

Evidence scope warning: the supplied evidence is the GitHub advisory only.

Full technical POC analysis - root cause, step-by-step exploitation and patch breakdown - is part of the Pro and Business plans.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Ghost CMS, an open-source publishing and newsletter platform, contains a high-severity flaw for which no public exploit code has been identified that allows remote attackers to attach paid subscriptions to existing member accounts, alter stored member names, and inject attacker-controlled markup into newsletters sent to those members. Only organizations running Ghost with Stripe-backed paid memberships and an actively used newsletter feature are exposed, and abuse further depends on a recipient opening the affected message, but the injected content reaches subscribers directly under the organization's own brand and can degrade into content spoofing or script execution depending on the email client. Leadership should care because the newsletter is a trusted, high-reach channel: subscriber trust, data integrity, and brand reputation are the assets at risk, not just the platform itself.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 80% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
popular open-source publishing/newsletter CMS, common but not ubiquitous
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

36
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Cross-Site Scripting occurs when an application accepts untrusted data and sends it to a web browser without proper validation or encoding.

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

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