CVE-2026-105865
Received Received - Intake

Path Traversal in Payload CMS

Publication date: 2026-10-06

Last updated on: 2026-10-06

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
Payload is a free and open source headless content management system. In versions before 3.90.0 and canary versions before 4.0.0-canary.34, an authenticated user who can update or delete uploads stored locally can cause file cleanup to remove unintended files outside the configured upload directory, resulting in data loss or service disruption. Deployments that restrict upload management to trusted users are less exposed. This issue is fixed in versions 3.90.0 and 4.0.0-canary.34.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-06
Last Modified
2026-10-06
Generated
2026-10-06
AI Q&A
2026-10-06
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-105865
EUVD
EUVD-2026-93511

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
payloadcms payload < 3.90.0
payloadcms payload >= 4.0.0-canary.0, < 4.0.0-canary.34

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-73 The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.
CWE-22 The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects Payload CMS, a headless content management system. In versions before 3.90.0 and canary versions before 4.0.0-canary.34, an authenticated user with upload management permissions can delete files outside the intended upload directory. This happens during file cleanup operations, leading to unintended data loss or service disruption.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, check Payload CMS versions before 3.90.0 or canary versions before 4.0.0-canary.34. Run commands like 'npm list payload' or check version in admin panel. Verify if file cleanup operations affect unintended directories.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability can cause data loss by removing critical files outside the upload directory. It may also disrupt services relying on those files, potentially leading to downtime or corruption of the CMS. Trusted user restrictions reduce exposure.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized data deletion, violating GDPR's integrity principle or HIPAA's access controls. Unintended file removal may compromise data availability, a key compliance requirement. Organizations must ensure proper access controls and apply patches to maintain compliance.

Mitigation Strategies

Update Payload CMS to version 3.90.0 or later for stable releases, or 4.0.0-canary.34 or later for canary releases. Restrict upload management permissions to trusted users only to reduce exposure.

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