CVE-2026-22594 is a vulnerability identified in the Ghost content management system, a popular Node.js-based platform used for publishing and managing digital content. The affected versions span from 5.105.0 to 5.130.5 and 6.0.0 to 6.10.3. The core issue is an improper authentication flaw (CWE-287) within the 2FA mechanism designed to protect staff user accounts. Specifically, the vulnerability allows staff users to bypass the email-based two-factor authentication step, effectively negating the additional security layer intended to prevent unauthorized access. This bypass can be exploited remotely without user interaction, requiring only staff-level privileges, which are typically granted to trusted users with content management responsibilities. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality and integrity by enabling unauthorized users to gain administrative access, potentially leading to content manipulation, data leakage, or further exploitation within the hosting environment. The CVSS v3.1 score of 8.1 reflects a high severity due to the network attack vector, low attack complexity, and significant impact on confidentiality and integrity, although availability is not affected. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the risk remains substantial given the widespread use of Ghost CMS in digital publishing. The vendor has addressed the issue in versions 5.130.6 and 6.11.0, making timely patching critical. Organizations should also review their user access policies and monitor authentication logs to detect any suspicious activity related to staff accounts.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially for media companies, digital publishers, and enterprises relying on Ghost CMS for content management. Unauthorized bypass of 2FA can lead to unauthorized administrative access, allowing attackers to alter published content, inject malicious code, or exfiltrate sensitive information. This undermines the trustworthiness of digital content and can cause reputational damage, legal liabilities under GDPR for data breaches, and operational disruptions. Since the vulnerability affects staff users, insider threats or compromised staff credentials could be leveraged to exploit this flaw. The lack of availability impact means services may remain operational, potentially masking ongoing unauthorized access. European organizations with compliance requirements for strong authentication controls will find this vulnerability particularly critical. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers may develop exploits targeting this flaw. The vulnerability also raises concerns for managed service providers hosting Ghost CMS instances for multiple clients across Europe, amplifying the potential impact.

1. Immediate upgrade to Ghost CMS versions 5.130.6 or 6.11.0, which contain the patch for this vulnerability. 2. Conduct a thorough audit of all staff user accounts to verify legitimacy and review recent authentication logs for suspicious bypass attempts. 3. Enforce strict access control policies limiting staff privileges to the minimum necessary. 4. Implement additional monitoring and alerting on authentication events, focusing on 2FA bypass indicators. 5. Consider deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect anomalous authentication patterns targeting Ghost CMS. 6. Educate staff users on the importance of safeguarding credentials and recognizing phishing attempts that could facilitate exploitation. 7. For organizations using Ghost CMS in multi-tenant or managed environments, isolate instances and apply network segmentation to limit lateral movement in case of compromise. 8. Regularly review and update incident response plans to include scenarios involving CMS authentication bypasses. 9. Engage with the Ghost community and vendor for ongoing updates and security advisories.