Payload: Unauthorized update to collection documentsGHSA-f7hx-52q9-hcrf
CRITICALFix: payloadcms/payload@36fa9afGHSA-f7hx-52q9-hcrf is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) CWE-639 vulnerability in payload. A fix is available for payload — see the affected versions and patch details below.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-f7hx-52q9-hcrf by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 394,803 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
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.
payloadnpmDescription
Impact
An attacker can submit a request to a specific endpoint that permits collection documents to be updated regardless of access control and field level access control.
You are affected if:
- You are configuring
orderable: truewith any collection or join field.
Patches
In the patched version access control is properly enforced.
Users should upgrade Payload packages to >= 3.90.0 or >= 4.0.0-canary.34.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | payload | all versions | 3.90.0npm install payload@3.90.0 |
| 📦npm | payload | ≥ 4.0.0-canary.0&&< 4.0.0-canary.34 | 4.0.0-canary.34npm install payload@4.0.0-canary.34 |
Affected Products
payloadpayloadcmsDetection & 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 3.90.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-f7hx-52q9-hcrf is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-f7hx-52q9-hcrf in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.