CVE-2022-41654

ghost vulnerable to unauthorized newsletter modification via improper access controls

Workarounds

The known exploit can be prevented by disabling members until an update can be performed.

References

• forum post

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

• Email us at [email protected]

Credits: Dave McDaniel and other members of Cisco Talos

On sites where members is enabled (this is the default) it is possible for members (unprivileged users) to make changes to newsletter settings. This gives unprivileged users the ability to view and change settings they were not intended to have access to. They are not able to escalate their privileges permanently or get access to further information. This issue was caused by a gap in our API validation for nested objects.

Ghost(Pro) has already been patched. We can find no evidence that the issue was exploited on Ghost(Pro) prior to the patch being added.

Self-hosters are impacted if running Ghost a version between v4.46.0 and v4.48.7 or any version of v5 prior to v5.22.7. Immediate action should be taken to secure your site - see patches & workarounds below.

CVE-2022-41654 has a CVSS score of 8.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (5.22.7, 4.48.8); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Already deployed Kodem?

• v4.48.8 / v5.22.7 are patched for all known exploits.
• v4.48.9 / v5.24.1 contain deeper fixes to the API to close the potential for this vulnerability to appear elsewhere or regress

1. What is CVE-2022-41654? CVE-2022-41654 is a high-severity security vulnerability in ghost (npm), affecting versions >= 5.0.0, < 5.22.7. It is fixed in 5.22.7, 4.48.8.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-41654? CVE-2022-41654 has a CVSS score of 8.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of ghost are affected by CVE-2022-41654? ghost (npm) versions >= 5.0.0, < 5.22.7 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-41654? Yes. CVE-2022-41654 is fixed in 5.22.7, 4.48.8. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-41654 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-41654 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2022-41654 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2022-41654?
   • Upgrade ghost to 5.22.7 or later
   • Upgrade ghost to 4.48.8 or later

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