CVE-2026-33423
Privilege Escalation in Discourse via Group Notification Modification
Publication date: 2026-03-20
Last updated on: 2026-03-25
Assigner: GitHub, Inc.
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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| Percentile: |
Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| discourse | discourse | From 2026.1.0 (inc) to 2026.1.2 (exc) |
| discourse | discourse | From 2026.2.0 (inc) to 2026.2.1 (exc) |
| discourse | discourse | 2026.3.0 |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-862 | The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability affects the Discourse open-source discussion platform. Prior to certain fixed versions (2026.3.0-latest.1, 2026.2.1, and 2026.1.2), staff members had the ability to modify any user's group notification level without proper restrictions.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
The vulnerability allows staff users to change notification settings for any user, which could lead to unwanted or unauthorized changes in how users receive notifications. This might disrupt user experience or communication within the platform.
How does this vulnerability affect compliance with common standards and regulations (like GDPR, HIPAA)?:
I don't know
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
I don't know
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
To mitigate this vulnerability, you should upgrade your Discourse installation to one of the patched versions: 2026.3.0-latest.1, 2026.2.1, or 2026.1.2.
No known workarounds are available, so applying the patch by updating is the immediate recommended step.