Privilege Escalation via Mass Assignment Allows Regular Users to Set Topics as Global Banners
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Tampering
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · Low · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-915.
Summary
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.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discourse | discourse | before 2025.12.2; 2026.1.0-latest to before 2026.1.1; 2026.2.0-latest to before 2026.2.0 | 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1, 2026.2.0 | Patch available | CNA |
- discourse Vendordiscourse Affected before 2025.12.2; 2026.1.0-latest to before 2026.1.1; 2026.2.0-latest to before 2026.2.0 Fixed in 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1, 2026.2.0 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA discourse (discourse) Fixed in 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1, 2026.2.0
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-28219
References
More Discourse vulnerabilities
- TI-2021-19656 Denial of Service in discourse CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.8
- TI-2024-36150 Potential Backup file leaked via Nginx in Discourse CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2021-18002 RCE via malicious SNS subscription payload CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2026-24651 Discourse: Open redirect via `sso_destination_url` cookie in `enter` CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 5.1
- TI-2026-22278 Discourse leaks private topic title and post excerpt via user action API endpoint CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2023-24152 Unauthenticated access to new private chat messages in Discourse CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences