CVE-2026-27481
Received Received - Intake
Authorization Bypass in Discourse Tags Exposes Staff-Only Data

Publication date: 2026-04-03

Last updated on: 2026-04-22

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. From versions 2026.1.0-latest to before 2026.1.3, 2026.2.0-latest to before 2026.2.2, and 2026.3.0-latest to before 2026.3.0, an authorization bypass vulnerability allows unauthenticated or unauthorized users to view hidden (staff-only) tags and its associated data. All Discourse instances with tagging enabled and staff-only tag groups configured are impacted. This issue has been patched in versions 2026.1.3, 2026.2.2, and 2026.3.0.
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
Probability:
Percentile:
Meta Information
Published
2026-04-03
Last Modified
2026-04-22
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-04-04
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2026-27481
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
discourse discourse 2026.3.0
discourse discourse From 2026.1.0 (inc) to 2026.1.2 (inc)
discourse discourse From 2026.2.0 (inc) to 2026.2.1 (inc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-200 The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Quick Actions
Instant insights powered by AI
Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects the Discourse open-source discussion platform in certain versions before they were patched. It is an authorization bypass issue that allows unauthenticated or unauthorized users to view hidden tags that are meant only for staff, along with the data associated with those tags.

Specifically, any Discourse instance that has tagging enabled and staff-only tag groups configured is impacted by this vulnerability.

Impact Analysis

The impact of this vulnerability is that unauthorized or unauthenticated users can access information that is intended to be restricted to staff members only. This could lead to exposure of sensitive internal tags and data that may reveal confidential or operational details about the platform or its users.

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, update your Discourse installation to one of the patched versions: 2026.1.3, 2026.2.2, or 2026.3.0.

Ensure that tagging is enabled and staff-only tag groups are properly configured after the update to prevent unauthorized access to hidden tags.

Chat Assistant
Ask questions about this CVE
Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-27481. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.
0/70
EPSS Chart