# CVE-2026-72785: Craft CMS authorization bypass in category structure editing

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-72785-craft-cms-authorization-bypass-in-category-structure-editing  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-08-11. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-72785 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4.3 · Published 2026-08-11

Craft CMS is a content management system used to organize and manage website content, including structured category hierarchies. A vulnerability allows users with only read-only access to categories to permanently modify the category structure by reordering and re-parenting categories, which changes category URLs and can break website navigation menus built from the category taxonomy.

Technologies: [craftcms/cms (Packagist)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/craftcms-cms). Vendors: [Packagist](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/packagist).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-72785 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-72785 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-72785?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4.3, published 11 August 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** craftcms/cms (Packagist) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=5.0.0-RC1,fixed=5.10.6.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-72785?** Yes. craftcms/cms (Packagist): upgrade to 5.10.6 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-72785 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-72785?** Check whether you run craftcms/cms (Packagist) 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

- craftcms/cms (Packagist): upgrade to 5.10.6 or later

  ```sh
  composer require craftcms/cms:^5.10.6
  ```


## Technical details

This is an authorization bypass vulnerability (CWE-863) in Craft CMS versions 5.0.0-RC1 through 5.10.5. The root cause is that the structureEditable flag is computed from the viewCategories permission rather than the saveCategories permission; when a read-only category index renders, the system calls authorize('editStructure:<structureId>') at read time, and StructuresController then trusts this session grant for the structures/move-element mutation without re-checking write permissions. An authenticated user holding only viewCategories permission can invoke structures/move-element to reorder and re-parent categories. Because category URIs are derived from their position in the structure, moving categories changes their URLs and those of descendants, corrupting navigation built from the taxonomy. The vulnerability is fixed in version 5.10.6.

## Affected products

- Craft CMS CMS 5.0.0-RC1 through 5.10.5

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-72785
- GHSA-xxpx-f366-4xpq

## Timeline

- 2026-07-25: disclosed: GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-xxpx-f366-4xpq published
- 2026-08-11: advisory: CVE-2026-72785 published
- 2026-08-11: patched: Fix released in version 5.10.6

## References

- [https://github.com/craftcms/cms/security/advisories/GHSA-xxpx-f366-4xpq](https://github.com/craftcms/cms/security/advisories/GHSA-xxpx-f366-4xpq)
- [https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/craft-cms-before-authorization-bypass-via-structures-move-element](https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/craft-cms-before-authorization-bypass-via-structures-move-element)

## Related threats

- [Craft CMS: Stored XSS in the control panel via unescaped draft name](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-72787-craft-cms-stored-xss-in-the-control-panel-via-unescaped-draft)
- [Craft CMS: Arbitrary user password reset leading to administrator account takeover](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-72786-craft-cms-arbitrary-user-password-reset-leading-to-administrator)
- [Craft CMS authorization bypass in category structure modification](https://junglewise.ai/threats/craft-cms-authorization-bypass-in-category-structure-modification-1555f980)
- [Craft CMS authenticated RCE through Twig sandbox escape](https://junglewise.ai/threats/craft-cms-authenticated-rce-through-twig-sandbox-escape-32ee5ec1)
- [Craft CMS path traversal in ensurePathIsContained](https://junglewise.ai/threats/craft-cms-path-traversal-in-ensurepathiscontained-4adc3058)