GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr: Ghost Member Account Takeover Vulnerability

MODERATE
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CVSS 6.5
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) member account takeover vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Ghost libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves member account takeover. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.42.6, 4.15.1.

GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Ghost
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Ghost dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

ghost fixed: 3.42.6 
npm install ghost@3.42.6
ghost fixed: 4.15.1 
npm install ghost@4.15.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls ghost

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls ghost

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ghost in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.42.6), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls ghost command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Ghost, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact An error in the implementation of the member email change functionality allows unauthenticated users to change the email address of arbitrary member accounts to one they control by crafting a request to the relevant API endpoint, and validating the new address via magic link sent to the new email address. Ghost(Pro) has already been patched. Self-hosters are impacted if running Ghost a version between 3.18.0 and 4.15.0 with members functionality enabled. ### Patches Fixed in 4.15.1, all 4.x sites should upgrade as soon as possible. Fixed in 3.42.6, all 3.x sites should upgrade as soon as possible. ### Workarounds The patch in 4.15.1 and 3.42.6 adds a new authenticated endpoint for updating member email addresses. Updating Ghost is the quickest complete solution. As a workaround, if for any reason you cannot update your Ghost instance, you can block the `POST /members/api/send-magic-link/` endpoint, which will also disable member login and signup for your site. ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Email us at [security@ghost.org](mailto:security@ghost.org)

GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr Affected Ghost Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.42.64.15.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ghost
npm/ghost
npm
≥ 3.18.0
< 3.42.6
3.42.6
ghost
npm/ghost
npm
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.15.1
4.15.1

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/security/advisories/GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr
Ghost Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr?
GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr is a security vulnerability in Ghost involving Member account takeover under General Security Weakness.
Which Ghost versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.42.6, 4.15.1 across affected packages: ghost.
What version fixes GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr?
Upgrading to 3.42.6, 4.15.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ghost affected?
Yes, ghost is affected in releases prior to 3.42.6, 4.15.1. Upgrade your dependency to 3.42.6, 4.15.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr?
GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr?
GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls ghost'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr",
  "modified" : "2021-09-23T21:14:22Z",
  "published" : "2021-09-23T23:18:42Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "Member account takeover",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nAn error in the implementation of the member email change functionality allows unauthenticated users to change the email address of arbitrary member accounts to one they control by crafting a request to the relevant API endpoint, and validating the new address via magic link sent to the new email address.\n\nGhost(Pro) has already been patched. Self-hosters are impacted if running Ghost a version between 3.18.0 and 4.15.0 with members functionality enabled.\n\n### Patches\n\nFixed in 4.15.1, all 4.x sites should upgrade as soon as possible.\nFixed in 3.42.6, all 3.x sites should upgrade as soon as possible.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nThe patch in 4.15.1 and 3.42.6 adds a new authenticated endpoint for updating member email addresses. Updating Ghost is the quickest complete solution.\n\nAs a workaround, if for any reason you cannot update your Ghost instance, you can block the `POST /members/api/send-magic-link/` endpoint, which will also disable member login and signup for your site.\n\n### For more information\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n* Email us at [security@ghost.org](mailto:security@ghost.org)\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "ghost"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.18.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.42.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "ghost"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.15.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/security/advisories/GHSA-65p7-pjj8-ggmr"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-09-23T21:14:22Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}