CVE-2025-4644 — payload
CVE-2025-4644 is a CWE-384 vulnerability in payload. A fix is available for payload — see the affected versions and patch details below.
User Session Fixation after Account Removal in PayloadCMS
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2025-4644.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
payloadnpm@payloadcms/nextnpm@payloadcms/graphqlnpmDescription
A Session Fixation vulnerability existed in Payload's SQLite adapter due to identifier reuse during account creation. A malicious attacker could create a new account, save its JSON Web Token (JWT), and then delete the account, which did not invalidate the JWT. As a result, the next newly created user would receive the same identifier, allowing the attacker to reuse the JWT to authenticate and perform actions as that user.
This issue has been fixed in version 3.44.0 of Payload.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | payload | all versions | 3.44.0npm install payload@3.44.0 |
| 📦npm | @payloadcms/next | all versions | 3.44.0npm install @payloadcms/next@3.44.0 |
| 📦npm | @payloadcms/graphql | all versions | 3.44.0npm install @payloadcms/graphql@3.44.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for payload, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update payload to 3.44.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2025-4644 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2025-4644 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2025-4644. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2025-4644 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2025-4644 across npm dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.