GHSA-hp5w-3hxx-vmwf
CRITICALGHSA-hp5w-3hxx-vmwf is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.1) CWE-472 vulnerability in payload. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-hp5w-3hxx-vmwf is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Payload: Pre-Authentication Account Takeover via Parameter Injection in Password Recovery
Blast Radius
Weekly download volume for affected packages — a proxy for how broadly this vulnerability is deployed.
payloadnpmDescription
Impact
A vulnerability in the password recovery flow could allow an unauthenticated attacker to perform actions on behalf of a user who initiates a password reset.
Users are affected if:
- They are using Payload version < v3.79.1 with any auth-enabled collection using the built-in
forgot-passwordfunctionality.
Patches
Input validation and URL construction in the password recovery flow have been hardened.
Users should upgrade to v3.79.1 or later.
Workarounds
There are no complete workarounds. Upgrading to v3.79.1 is recommended.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | payload | all versions | 3.79.1 |
| 📦npm | @payloadcms/graphql | all versions | 3.79.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for payload. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update payload to 3.79.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-hp5w-3hxx-vmwf 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 pinpoints whether GHSA-hp5w-3hxx-vmwf is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-hp5w-3hxx-vmwf. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-hp5w-3hxx-vmwf in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-hp5w-3hxx-vmwf across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.