ApostropheCMS: Authenticated projection-exclusion prototype-member deletion in @apostrophecms/db-connect causes process-wide denial of service

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

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

EPSS

• CVE-2026-113666: 0.44% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 38.63 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary @apostrophecms/db-connect ships an in-memory MongoDB emulation used by its SQLite, PostgreSQL, and multipostgres adapters. Its unsetNestedField helper walks an attacker-controlled dotted field path with no segment validation and calls delete on the resolved property. A low-privileged authenticated user (any role holding view-draft, which every editor and contributor has; reduced to any logged-in user when guestApiAccess is enabled) can send a piece-type REST GET request whose project query builder contains an exclusion key such as constructor.prototype.hasOwnProperty. On a SQLite or PostgreSQL adapter this key reaches unsetNestedField, which resolves Object.prototype and deletes a shared runtime method. Because that method is shared across the whole Node process, the deletion breaks request handling for every tenant and user until the process is restarted, giving a single request a persistent denial of service. Root Cause The projection query builder laundens only projection…

Published by the source

20 Oct 2026, 18:03 UTC

Last modified by the source

20 Oct 2026, 18:15 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 13:07 UTC

1. Revision 3 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-j5rq-xfvr-p969

2. Revision 2 · amended · 24 Oct 2026

   Amended from osv record GHSA-j5rq-xfvr-p969

3. Revision 1 · created · 23 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-j5rq-xfvr-p969

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-113666

Advisory: ApostropheCMS: Authenticated projection-exclusion prototype-member deletion in @apostrophecms/db-connect causes process-wide denial of service
IDs: CVE-2026-113666, GHSA-j5rq-xfvr-p969
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-113666 (revision 3, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:07 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.1)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: @apostrophecms/db-connect 1.1.0; apostrophe 4.33.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm @apostrophecms/db-connect: affected < 1.1.0; fixed in 1.1.0
- npm apostrophe: affected < 4.33.0; fixed in 4.33.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls @apostrophecms/db-connect --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.
- `npm ls apostrophe --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on @apostrophecms/db-connect, apostrophe.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-j5rq-xfvr-p969 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-j5rq-xfvr-p969 lists affected ranges: npm @apostrophecms/db-connect >=0 =0 <4.33.0)
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-j5rq-xfvr-p969 (OSV record GHSA-j5rq-xfvr-p969 lists affected ranges: npm @apostrophecms/db-connect >=0 =0 <4.33.0 (fixed))

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