CVE-2026-34751

Critical

Published: 01 April 2026

Published

01 April 2026

Modified

15 April 2026

KEV Added

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Patch

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CVSS Score 9.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

EPSS Score 0.0010 26.8th percentile

Risk Priority 18 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2026-34751 is a critical-severity External Control of Assumed-Immutable Web Parameter (CWE-472) vulnerability in Payloadcms Payload. Its CVSS base score is 9.1 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 26.8th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 IA-5 (Authenticator Management) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation).

Threat & Defense at a Glance

What attackers do: exploitation maps to Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190) and 1 other technique. What defenders deploy: see the NIST 800-53 controls recommended below.

Threat & Defense Details

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI

IA-5 Authenticator Management good match

prevent

Directly manages authenticators including password recovery processes to prevent hijacking via weak mechanisms.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

prevent

Validates information inputs in the password recovery flow to block external control of assumed-immutable web parameters.

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match

prevent

Requires timely identification, reporting, and correction of flaws like this password recovery vulnerability through patching.

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access

Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.

attack.mitre.org →

T1078 Valid Accounts Stealth

Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of existing accounts as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion.

attack.mitre.org →

Why these techniques?

Vulnerability in public-facing Payload CMS enables remote unauthenticated exploitation of password recovery (T1190) to hijack accounts and perform actions as the victim (T1078).

Confidence: MEDIUM · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v18.1

NVD Description

Payload is a free and open source headless content management system. Prior to version 3.79.1 in @payloadcms/graphql and payload, a vulnerability in the password recovery flow could allow an unauthenticated attacker to perform actions on behalf of a user who…

initiates a password reset. This issue has been patched in version 3.79.1 for @payloadcms/graphql and payload.

Deeper analysisAI

CVE-2026-34751 is a high-severity vulnerability (CVSS 9.1) affecting Payload, a free and open-source headless content management system, specifically in the @payloadcms/graphql and payload components prior to version 3.79.1. The flaw resides in the password recovery flow, linked to CWE-472 (External Control of Assumed-Immutable Web Parameter) and CWE-640 (Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password). It enables an unauthenticated attacker to hijack the recovery process and execute actions impersonating the legitimate user.

An unauthenticated attacker (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) can exploit this remotely with low complexity and no user interaction required beyond a target user initiating a password reset. By intercepting or manipulating the recovery mechanism, the attacker gains the ability to perform arbitrary actions on behalf of the victim, resulting in high confidentiality (C:H) and integrity (I:H) impacts without availability disruption (A:N).

The issue has been addressed in Payload version 3.79.1 for both @payloadcms/graphql and payload, as detailed in the official GitHub release notes (https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/releases/tag/v3.79.1) and security advisory (https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/security/advisories/GHSA-hp5w-3hxx-vmwf). Security practitioners should upgrade to the patched version immediately and review password recovery implementations for similar weaknesses.