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GhostCMS

CVE-2021-39192

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.10.0 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Ghost is a Node.js content management system. An error in the implementation of the limits service between versions 4.0.0 and 4.9.4 allows all authenticated users (including contributors) to view admin-level API keys via the integrations API endpoint, leading to a privilege escalation vulnerability. This issue is patched in Ghost version 4.10.0. As a workaround, disable all non-Administrator accounts to prevent API access. It is highly recommended to regenerate all API keys after patching or applying the workaround.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Ghost CMS versions 4.0.0-4.9.4 contain an authorization flaw in the limits service that incorrectly allows ALL authenticated users, including low-privilege contributors, to access admin-level API keys through the integrations API endpoint, enabling privilege escalation.

MitigationUpgrade to Ghost 4.10.0 or later, and regenerate all existing API keys to prevent continued access by unauthorized parties.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
GhostCMS
Affected:>= 4.0.0, < 4.10.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine installed Ghost version
    Run `ghost version` in the installation directory, or check the version field in `package.json`, or view it in the Admin panel under Settings > About
    Affected if Version is 4.0.0 through 4.9.4 inclusive
  2. Verify user authentication is enabled
    Check if the Ghost site has user registration enabled by reviewing config.production.json for `auth` settings, or check in Admin panel under Settings > Members > Membership settings
    Affected if Authentication is enabled and non-admin user accounts exist
  3. Identify low-privilege contributor accounts
    In Admin panel, navigate to Members or Users section and list all accounts. Check for users with Contributor role (the lowest privilege tier that still has authentication access)
    Affected if At least one user with Contributor role exists on the system
  4. Test API key access via integrations endpoint
    Using a low-privilege contributor account, make a GET request to `/ghost/api/admin/integrations/` using the Ghost Content API key for that user. Compare whether admin-level API keys (with full access) are returned in the response
    Affected if Response includes admin-level integration API keys that the contributor should not have access to
  5. Review audit logs for unauthorized API key access
    Check Ghost logs or external logging for requests to `/ghost/api/admin/integrations/` from non-admin user sessions. Look for entries showing API key enumeration
    Affected if Logs show integrations endpoint was accessed by contributor-level users

Environment is affected if running Ghost 4.0.0-4.9.4 with authenticated non-admin users present, where low-privilege accounts can retrieve admin-level API keys through the integrations endpoint.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.10.0 or later
Fixed in 4.10.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Ghost 4.10.0 or later, and regenerate all existing API keys to prevent continued access by unauthorized parties.

Recommended fix High confidence

Ghost 4.10.0 or latest stable release

  1. 1. Create a full backup of the Ghost database and file system before proceeding
  2. 2. Upgrade Ghost to version 4.10.0 or later using the standard upgrade method (e.g., `ghost update` or via your hosting provider)
  3. 3. After upgrading, regenerate all existing API keys to ensure compromised keys are invalidated
  4. 4. Verify that the upgrade was successful and the vulnerability is resolved
Caveat Minor version upgrade within 4.x - minimal breaking change risk, but always review release notes before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ghost Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-39192 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data