CVE-2026-105866: Payload Denial of Service Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v5gf-vpjc-pc7w
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CWE-307 CWE-645
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-105866 is a MODERATE denial of service vulnerability (CWE-307: Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts) affecting Payload libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves unauthenticated account-lockout denial of service. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.90.0, 4.0.0-canary.34.

CVE-2026-105866 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-105866
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v5gf-vpjc-pc7w
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-307: Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts
Affected Product Payload
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-105866

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-2026-105866, 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-307: Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts, where the product does not implement sufficient measures to prevent multiple failed authentication attempts within a short time frame. 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** An unauthenticated attacker who knows an account’s email address or username could trigger Payload’s account lockout mechanism and prevent that user from signing in. You are affected if: * Using an affected Payload version with an auth-enabled collection that uses local authentication and account lockout. Applications that do not use Payload local authentication are not affected. ### **Patches** Successful password resets now clear the account’s lockout state. The forgot-password flow also enforces a configurable minimum interval between reset emails, which defaults to 15 seconds. Users should upgrade Payload packages to `>= 3.90.0` or `>= 4.0.0-canary.34`.

CVE-2026-105866 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
< 3.90.0
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-v5gf-vpjc-pc7w
NVD — CVE-2026-105866 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-105866
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/commit/1c46204a73a0a9f988a80c52690eee5a4ada3cf1
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-2026-105866?
CVE-2026-105866 is a security vulnerability in Payload involving Unauthenticated account-lockout denial of service under CWE-307: Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts.
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-2026-105866?
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-2026-105866?
CVE-2026-105866 is classified under CWE-307: Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts (The product does not implement sufficient measures to prevent multiple failed authentication attempts within a short time frame.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2026-105866?
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-v5gf-vpjc-pc7w",
  "modified" : "2026-10-07T20:29:04Z",
  "published" : "2026-10-07T20:29:04Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-105866" ],
  "summary" : "Payload: Unauthenticated account-lockout denial of service",
  "details" : "### **Impact**\n\nAn unauthenticated attacker who knows an account’s email address or username could trigger Payload’s account lockout mechanism and prevent that user from signing in.\n\nYou are affected if:\n\n* Using an affected Payload version with an auth-enabled collection that uses local authentication and account lockout.\n\nApplications that do not use Payload local authentication are not affected.\n\n### **Patches**\n\nSuccessful password resets now clear the account’s lockout state. The forgot-password flow also enforces a configurable minimum interval between reset emails, which defaults to 15 seconds.\n\nUsers should upgrade Payload packages to `>= 3.90.0` or `>= 4.0.0-canary.34`.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "payload"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "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-v5gf-vpjc-pc7w"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-105866"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/commit/1c46204a73a0a9f988a80c52690eee5a4ada3cf1"
  }, {
    "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-307", "CWE-645" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-10-07T20:29:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-10-06T17:17:22Z"
  }
}