---
id: CVE-2026-53949
aliases:
  - GHSA-jx35-x7fj-vgpr
title: Ghost Content API filter bypass reveals private fields
summary: Ghost Content API filter bypass reveals private fields
severity: medium
cvss: 5.3
cwe:
  - CWE-200
  - CWE-693
vendor: ghost
product: ghost
ecosystem: npm
affected:
  - 'ghost >= 5.46.1, < 6.21.2'
patched:
  - ghost 6.21.2
published: '2026-08-05'
updated: '2026-08-05'
source: GHSA
sourceUrl: 'https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-jx35-x7fj-vgpr'
references:
  - url: 'https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/security/advisories/GHSA-jx35-x7fj-vgpr'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53949'
  - url: 'https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/releases/tag/v6.21.2'
  - url: 'https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-jx35-x7fj-vgpr'
tags:
  - ghsa
  - npm
epss: 0.00358
epssPercentile: 0.26904
ingestedAt: '2026-08-05T14:48:44.158Z'
---

## Overview

### Impact

The validation applied to filters on the public API endpoints could be partially bypassed, making it possible to reveal private fields via a brute force attack. If SQLite was used as the database password hashes were fully accessible. If MySQL was used as the database the password hashes' case (uppercase / lowercase) would have been lost, which would likely have rendered a further brute force attack on the discovered hashes fruitless.

### Vulnerable versions

This vulnerability is present in Ghost from v5.46.1 up to v6.21.1.

### Patches

v6.21.2 contains a fix for this issue.

### How to update

For self-hosters using Docker, find [Docker's official Ghost image here](https://hub.docker.com/_/ghost). Updating a Docker-based Ghost instance [is documented here](https://docs.ghost.org/install/docker#updating-ghost). 

If your Ghost is a Ghost-CLI install see our documentation on [updating it to the latest version here](https://docs.ghost.org/update). 

### Workarounds

If upgrading immediately is not possible, block or filter requests to Content API endpoints where the `filter` query parameter contains `password` or `email` (including any compound form such as `users.password`, `users.email`, `authors.password`, `authors.email`). Reject requests at a reverse proxy / WAF layer before they reach Ghost.

Example (case-insensitive) pattern to block on the raw querystring:

```
filter=[^&]*(password|email)
```

### References

Ghost thanks crnkovic for disclosing this vulnerability responsibly.

### For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, email Ghost at [security@ghost.org](mailto:security@ghost.org).

## Affected packages

- `ghost >= 5.46.1, < 6.21.2`

## Remediation

Upgrade to a patched release:

- `ghost 6.21.2`