CVE-2026-59817: Ghost: Paid gift memberships obtainable at minimal cost via the donations feature
Impact
A vulnerability in Ghost's public donation checkout flow allowed an unauthenticated attacker to obtain full paid gift memberships for a minimal payment. No customer or member data was exposed, and the issue could not be used to steal money from a site or its members.
Vulnerable versions
This vulnerability is present in Ghost from v6.27.0 up to v6.43.1.
Patches
v6.44.0 contains a fix for this issue.
How to update
For self-hosters using Docker, find Docker’s official Ghost image on Docker Hub and follow the documentation on updating a Docker-based Ghost instance.
For self-hosters using Ghost-CLI, see the documentation for updating Ghost to the latest version.
Workarounds
If upgrading immediately is not possible, you can remove the vulnerable checkout path by disabling the donations feature in Ghost Admin under Settings → Membership → Tips & donations until the upgrade is applied.
References
Ghost thanks sane100400 and p4p3r for disclosing this vulnerability responsibly.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, email Ghost at security@ghost.org.
Other sources
Ghost is a Node.js content management system. From 6.27.0 before 6.44.0, Ghost's public donation checkout flow allowed an unauthenticated attacker to control donation checkout metadata and obtain full paid gift memberships for a minimal payment without exposing customer or member data or stealing money from a site or its members. This issue is fixed in version 6.44.0.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
npm/ghostto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 6.44.0 - Upgrade
Upgrade
Ghostto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 6.44.0 - Configuration
If upgrading is not possible, disable the donations feature in Ghost Admin under Settings → Membership → Tips & donations until the upgrade to 6.44.0 is applied.
Ghost Admin Settings → Membership → Tips & donations (donations feature) = disabled
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-59817?
The severity of CVE-2026-59817 is categorized as medium with a score of 5.3.
How do I fix CVE-2026-59817?
To fix CVE-2026-59817, users should update to Ghost version 6.44.0 or later.
What type of attack does CVE-2026-59817 involve?
CVE-2026-59817 involves an unauthenticated attack where an attacker can exploit the donation feature to obtain paid gift memberships.
What versions of Ghost are affected by CVE-2026-59817?
CVE-2026-59817 affects Ghost versions from 6.27.0 before 6.44.0.
What data is exposed in CVE-2026-59817?
CVE-2026-59817 does not expose customer or member data but allows exploitation of the donation checkout flow.