Skip to content

SQL Injection in JSON/RichText Queries on PostgreSQL/SQLite Adapters

Critical
denolfe published GHSA-xx6w-jxg9-2wh8 Feb 5, 2026

Package

npm @payloadcms/drizzle (npm)

Affected versions

< 3.73.0

Patched versions

3.73.0

Description

Impact

When querying JSON or richText fields, user input was directly embedded into SQL without escaping, enabling blind SQL injection attacks. An unauthenticated attacker could extract sensitive data (emails, password reset tokens) and achieve full account takeover without password cracking.

You are affected if ALL of these are true:

  1. Payload version < v3.73.0
  2. Using a Drizzle-based database adapter (@payloadcms/drizzle as dependency):
    • @payloadcms/db-postgres
    • @payloadcms/db-vercel-postgres
    • @payloadcms/db-sqlite
    • @payloadcms/db-d1-sqlite
  3. At least one accessible collection that has a type: 'json' or type: 'richText' field where access.read returns anything other than false (true or Where constraint)

You are NOT affected if:

  • Using @payloadcms/db-mongodb
  • No JSON or richText fields exist in any collection
  • All JSON/richText fields have access: { read: () => false }

Patches

Upgrade to Payload v3.73.0 or later.

Workarounds

If you cannot upgrade immediately, add access: { read: () => false } to all JSON and richText fields as a temporary mitigation.

Severity

Critical

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVE ID

CVE-2026-25544

Weaknesses

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')

The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data. Learn more on MITRE.

Credits