CVE-2026-25544: @payloadcms/drizzle SQL Injection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xx6w-jxg9-2wh8
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-89
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-25544 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) sql injection vulnerability (CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')) affecting @payloadcms/drizzle libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves @payloadcms/drizzle has sql injection in json/richtext queries on postgresql/sqlite adapters. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.73.0.

CVE-2026-25544 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-25544
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xx6w-jxg9-2wh8
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
Affected Product @payloadcms/drizzle
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:H/I:H/A:H).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-25544

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

@payloadcms/drizzle fixed: 3.73.0 
npm install @payloadcms/drizzle@3.73.0
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 @payloadcms/drizzle

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2026-25544, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls @payloadcms/drizzle

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of @payloadcms/drizzle in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.73.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls @payloadcms/drizzle 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-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an sql command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended sql command when it is sent to a downstream component. without sufficient removal or quoting of sql syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated sql query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as sql instead of ordinary user data. In @payloadcms/drizzle, 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 When querying JSON or richText fields, user input was directly embedded into SQL without escaping, enabling blind SQL Injection attacks. An unauthenticated attacker could extract sensitive data (emails, password reset tokens) and achieve full account takeover without password cracking. **Users are affected if ALL of these are true:** 1. Payload version < v3.73.0 2. Using a Drizzle-based database adapter (`@payloadcms/drizzle` as dependency): - `@payloadcms/db-postgres` - `@payloadcms/db-vercel-postgres` - `@payloadcms/db-sqlite` - `@payloadcms/db-d1-sqlite` 3. At least one accessible collection that has a `type: 'json'` or `type: 'richText'` field where `access.read` returns anything other than `false` (`true` or `Where` constraint) **Users are NOT affected if:** - Using `@payloadcms/db-mongodb` - No JSON or richText fields exist in any collection - All JSON/richText fields have `access: { read: () => false }` ### Patches Upgrade to Payload **v3.73.0** or later. ### Workarounds If a project cannot upgrade immediately, add `access: { read: () => false }` to all JSON and richText fields as a temporary mitigation.

CVE-2026-25544 Affected @payloadcms/drizzle Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.73.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
@payloadcms/drizzle
npm/@payloadcms/drizzle
npm
< 3.73.0
3.73.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/security/advisories/GHSA-xx6w-jxg9-2wh8
NVD — CVE-2026-25544 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-25544
@payloadcms/drizzle Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/payloadcms/payload

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-25544?
CVE-2026-25544 is a security vulnerability in @payloadcms/drizzle involving @payloadcms/drizzle has SQL Injection in JSON/RichText Queries on PostgreSQL/SQLite Adapters under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection').
Which @payloadcms/drizzle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.73.0 across affected packages: @payloadcms/drizzle.
What version fixes CVE-2026-25544?
Upgrading to 3.73.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is @payloadcms/drizzle affected?
Yes, @payloadcms/drizzle is affected in releases prior to 3.73.0. Upgrade your dependency to 3.73.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-25544?
CVE-2026-25544 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-25544?
CVE-2026-25544 is classified under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-25544?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls @payloadcms/drizzle'. 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-xx6w-jxg9-2wh8",
  "modified" : "2026-02-07T00:31:51Z",
  "published" : "2026-02-05T20:51:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-25544" ],
  "summary" : "@payloadcms/drizzle has SQL Injection in JSON/RichText Queries on PostgreSQL/SQLite Adapters",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nWhen querying JSON or richText fields, user input was directly embedded into SQL without escaping, enabling blind SQL Injection attacks. An unauthenticated attacker could extract sensitive data (emails, password reset tokens) and achieve full account takeover without password cracking.\n\n**Users are affected if ALL of these are true:**\n\n1. Payload version < v3.73.0\n2. Using a Drizzle-based database adapter (`@payloadcms/drizzle` as dependency):\n   - `@payloadcms/db-postgres`\n   - `@payloadcms/db-vercel-postgres`\n   - `@payloadcms/db-sqlite`\n   - `@payloadcms/db-d1-sqlite`\n3. At least one accessible collection that has a `type: 'json'` or `type: 'richText'` field where `access.read` returns anything other than `false` (`true` or `Where` constraint)\n\n**Users are NOT affected if:**\n\n- Using `@payloadcms/db-mongodb`\n- No JSON or richText fields exist in any collection\n- All JSON/richText fields have `access: { read: () => false }`\n\n### Patches\n\nUpgrade to Payload **v3.73.0** or later.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nIf a project cannot upgrade immediately, add `access: { read: () => false }` to all JSON and richText fields as a temporary mitigation.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "@payloadcms/drizzle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.73.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/security/advisories/GHSA-xx6w-jxg9-2wh8"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-25544"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/payloadcms/payload"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-89" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-02-05T20:51:38Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-02-06T22:16:11Z"
  }
}