CVE-2026-105861: Payload Payload External Upload Trust Validation Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pj5h-5q6c-3pfx
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CWE-200 CWE-346
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-105861 is a HIGH payload external upload trust validation vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting Payload libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves payload external upload trust validation issue. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.90.0, 4.0.0-canary.34.

CVE-2026-105861 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-105861
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pj5h-5q6c-3pfx
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Affected Product Payload
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-105861

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

payload fixed: 3.90.0 
npm install payload@3.90.0
payload fixed: 4.0.0-canary.34 
npm install payload@4.0.0-canary.34
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 payload

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-105861, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls payload

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Payload in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.90.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls payload 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 CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, where the product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information. In Payload, 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 Under certain external upload configurations, Payload could send authentication data to a destination that was not verified as trusted. If the affected request contained a valid session, this could expose that session to an unintended recipient. **You are affected if:** - You have enabled external URL-based upload retrieval, where authenticated requests can trigger it. ## Patches Payload now validates the destination before forwarding authentication data and reapplies that validation when a request changes destination. Users should upgrade Payload packages to `>= 3.90.0` or `>= 4.0.0-canary.34`. ## Workarounds It is recommended to update all Payload packages to `>= 3.90.0` or `>= 4.0.0-canary.34`. If you cannot, a valid workaround exists: - Disable external URL-based upload retrieval where practical. - If you cannot disable it, configure the upload header filter to remove authentication data from outbound file requests. - Restrict access to the affected upload functionality.

CVE-2026-105861 Affected Payload Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.90.04.0.0-canary.34
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
payload
npm/payload
npm
≥ 3.0.0
< 3.90.0
3.90.0
payload
npm/payload
npm
≥ 4.0.0-canary.0
< 4.0.0-canary.34
4.0.0-canary.34

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/security/advisories/GHSA-pj5h-5q6c-3pfx
NVD — CVE-2026-105861 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-105861
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/commit/ba5cf6ae20d27a2c15106cb37466419031f86e6d
Payload Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/payloadcms/payload
Payload Release RELEASE
https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/releases/tag/v3.90.0

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-105861?
CVE-2026-105861 is a security vulnerability in Payload involving Payload external upload trust validation issue under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor.
Which Payload versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.90.0, 4.0.0-canary.34 across affected packages: payload.
What version fixes CVE-2026-105861?
Upgrading to 3.90.0, 4.0.0-canary.34 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is payload affected?
Yes, payload is affected in releases prior to 3.90.0, 4.0.0-canary.34. Upgrade your dependency to 3.90.0, 4.0.0-canary.34 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-105861?
CVE-2026-105861 is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-105861?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls payload'. 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-pj5h-5q6c-3pfx",
  "modified" : "2026-10-07T20:29:41Z",
  "published" : "2026-10-07T20:29:41Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-105861" ],
  "summary" : "Payload external upload trust validation issue",
  "details" : "## Impact\n\nUnder certain external upload configurations, Payload could send authentication data to a destination that was not verified as trusted. If the affected request contained a valid session, this could expose that session to an unintended recipient.\n\n**You are affected if:**\n\n- You have enabled external URL-based upload retrieval, where authenticated requests can trigger it.\n\n## Patches\n\nPayload now validates the destination before forwarding authentication data and reapplies that validation when a request changes destination.\n\nUsers should upgrade Payload packages to `>= 3.90.0` or `>= 4.0.0-canary.34`.\n\n## Workarounds\nIt is recommended to update all Payload packages to `>= 3.90.0` or `>= 4.0.0-canary.34`.\n\nIf you cannot, a valid workaround exists:\n- Disable external URL-based upload retrieval where practical.\n- If you cannot disable it, configure the upload header filter to remove authentication data from outbound file requests.\n- Restrict access to the affected upload functionality.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "payload"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.90.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "payload"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0-canary.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.0-canary.34"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/security/advisories/GHSA-pj5h-5q6c-3pfx"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-105861"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/commit/ba5cf6ae20d27a2c15106cb37466419031f86e6d"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/payloadcms/payload"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/releases/tag/v3.90.0"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200", "CWE-346" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-10-07T20:29:41Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-10-06T17:17:22Z"
  }
}