Summary
ApostropheCMS: The general public can access @apostrophecms/user objects via a relationship (viewRole is not applied to the general public)
Workarounds
Never create relationships with @apostrophecms/user that are intended for non-admin display. If you need a relationship that expresses authorship, create a separate author piece type to publicly represent that.
Impact
Even though it is correctly applied to guests, contributors, etc., viewRole is not applied to the general public. This means that a secured content type like @apostrophecms/user can in theory be accessed.
This is greatly mitigated by the fact that there is no automatic public REST API for any content type. One has to expressly allow it. However, it does mean that developers can make the mistake of setting up a relationship between a content type like a blog post, and @apostrophecms/user. This could potentially expose some sensitive information if templates were written poorly, e.g. if they JSON-serialized the entire object. Note that password hashes are NOT affected because they reside in a separate collection.
The public demo project and its various flavors must be updated first because it inadvertently relies on the bug.
The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions. Typical impact: unauthorized data access or execution of privileged operations.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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4.33.0
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-113653? CVE-2026-113653 is a medium-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in apostrophe (npm), affecting versions < 4.33.0. It is fixed in 4.33.0. The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions.
- Which versions of apostrophe are affected by CVE-2026-113653? apostrophe (npm) versions < 4.33.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-113653? Yes. CVE-2026-113653 is fixed in 4.33.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-113653 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-113653 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-113653 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-113653? Upgrade
apostropheto 4.33.0 or later.