Discourse is an open source discussion platform. Prior to versions 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1, and 2026.2.0, an improper authorization check in the topic management logic allows authenticated users to modify privileged attributes of their topics. By manipulating specific parameters in a PUT or POST request, a regular user can elevate a topic’s status to a site-wide notice or banner, bypassing intended administrative restrictions. Versions 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1, and 2026.2.0 patch the issue. There are no practical workarounds to prevent this behavior other than applying the security patch. Administrators concerned about unauthorized promotions should audit recent changes to site banners and global notices until the fix is deployed.
This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 4.3, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts limited integrity, for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from discourse organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Reported in 2026, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.
2026-02-26T22:20:49.767
2026-06-17T10:28:21.327
Analyzed
CVSSv3.1: 4.3 (MEDIUM)
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | discourse | discourse | < 2025.12.2 | Yes |
| Application | discourse | discourse | < 2026.1.1 | Yes |
| Application | discourse | discourse | 2026.2.0 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For discourse's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.