# CVE-2021-39192: Privilege escalation: all users can access Admin-level API keys

> Authenticated users can view admin-level API keys, enabling privilege escalation and unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 3 Sep 2021
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** BIT-ghost-2021-39192, GHSA-j5c2-hm46-wp5c

## What is CVE-2021-39192?

CVE-2021-39192 is a medium-severity vulnerability in TryGhost Ghost, published on 3 Sep 2021. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Ghost is a Node.js content management system. An error in the implementation of the limits service between versions 4.0.0 and 4.9.4 allows all authenticated users (including contributors) to view admin-level API keys via the integrations API endpoint, leading to a privilege escalation vulnerability. This issue is patched in Ghost version 4.10.0. As a workaround, disable all non-Administrator accounts to prevent API access. It is highly recommended to regenerate all API keys after patching or applying the workaround.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management), CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-39192?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including ghost. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `ghost` | Bitnami | From 4.0.0 | 4.10.0 |
| `ghost` | npm | From 4.0.0 | 4.10.0 |
| `ghost` | npm | From 4.0.0 | 4.10.0 |

Products: Ghost Ghost.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-39192?

Upgrade ghost to 4.10.0 or later.

## Is CVE-2021-39192 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-39192 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in TryGhost Ghost

- [CVE-2022-27139](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-27139/): Arbitrary file upload in Ghost (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-28397](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-28397/): Arbitrary file upload in Ghost (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-41654](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-41654/): ghost vulnerable to unauthorized newsletter modification via improper access controls (critical 9.6)
- [CVE-2026-26980](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-26980/): Ghost has a SQL Injection in its Content API (critical 9.4)
- [CVE-2024-34451](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-34451/): Security feature bypass in n/a (critical 9.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-39192 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-39192 is a medium-severity vulnerability in TryGhost Ghost, published on 3 Sep 2021. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-39192 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- ghost (Bitnami): affected from 4.0.0; fixed in 4.10.0
- ghost (npm): affected from 4.0.0; fixed in 4.10.0
- ghost (npm): affected from 4.0.0; fixed in 4.10.0

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39192/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39192/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-39192
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-39192
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-39192

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39192/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.