# CVE-2026-105866: Payload CMS account lockout denial of service

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-105866-payload-is-a-free-and-open-source-headless-content-management  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-06. Updated: 2026-10-06  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-105866 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4 · Published 2026-10-06

Payload is a headless content management system used to manage and deliver digital content. An unauthenticated attacker who knows a user's email address or username can repeatedly trigger the account lockout mechanism, permanently preventing legitimate users from logging in without administrator intervention.

Technologies: [payload (npm)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/payload), [Payload CMS](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/payload-cms). Vendors: [npm](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/npm), [Payload](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/payload).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-105866 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-105866 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-105866?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4, published 6 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** payload (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=3.90.0; Payload CMS before 3.90.0 and canary versions before 4.0.0-canary.34.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-105866?** Yes. payload (npm): upgrade to 3.90.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-105866 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-105866?** Check whether you run payload (npm) or Payload CMS at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- payload (npm): upgrade to 3.90.0 or later

  ```sh
  npm install payload@3.90.0
  ```


## Technical details

The vulnerability exists in the local-authentication collection's account lockout mechanism, which can be abused by unauthenticated attackers to lock valid accounts. No valid credentials are required—only knowledge of a target email or username is sufficient to trigger repeated lockout events. The issue was fixed by resetting the account lock on password reset and by throttling forgot-password requests.

## Affected products

- Payload Payload CMS before 3.90.0 and canary versions before 4.0.0-canary.34

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-105866
- GHSA-v5gf-vpjc-pc7w

## Timeline

- 2026-10-06: disclosed
- 2026-09-18: patched

## References

- [https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/commit/1c46204a73a0a9f988a80c52690eee5a4ada3cf1](https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/commit/1c46204a73a0a9f988a80c52690eee5a4ada3cf1)
- [https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/releases/tag/v3.90.0](https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/releases/tag/v3.90.0)

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