# CVE-2026-34749: Payload CSRF protection bypass in authentication flow

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-34749-payload-csrf-protection-bypass-in-authentication-flow  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-04-01. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-34749 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.4 · Published 2026-04-01

Payload is a content management system and backend framework. A CSRF (cross-site request forgery) vulnerability in its authentication flow allows attackers to bypass configured security protections under certain conditions, potentially enabling unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. Affected applications must have serverURL configured to be at risk.

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

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-34749 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-34749 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-34749?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.4, published 1 April 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** payload (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=3.79.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-34749?** Yes. payload (npm): upgrade to 3.79.1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-34749 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-34749?** Check whether you run payload (npm) or PayloadCMS Payload 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 3.79.1 or later

  ```sh
  npm install payload@3.79.1
  ```


## Technical details

The vulnerability is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in the authentication flow (CWE-352) where configured CSRF protections could be bypassed under certain conditions, allowing attackers to forge cross-site requests. The vulnerability requires no privileges and is exploitable over the network, but does require user interaction (e.g., a user visiting a malicious site while authenticated). Exploitation affects applications running Payload versions prior to 3.79.1 where serverURL is configured. The impact is limited to integrity and availability (no confidentiality loss). Payload has patched the issue in v3.79.1 by adding additional validation to the authentication flow; users should upgrade immediately. A temporary mitigation without upgrading is to set cookies.sameSite to 'Strict', though this degrades user experience by requiring re-authentication from external links.

## Affected products

- Payload Payload < 3.79.1

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-34749
- GHSA-p6mr-xf3r-ghq4

## Timeline

- 2026-04-01: advisory: Security advisory published
- 2026-04-01: patched: Patch released in v3.79.1

## References

- [https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/security/advisories/GHSA-p6mr-xf3r-ghq4](https://github.com/payloadcms/payload/security/advisories/GHSA-p6mr-xf3r-ghq4)

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