Quick answer
Direct answer
Risk scores
| CVSS metric | What it means |
|---|---|
| Attack vector (AV:N) | Network: reachable remotely |
| Attack complexity (AC:H) | High complexity |
| Attack requirements (AT:N) | No attack requirements |
| Privileges required (PR:N) | No privileges required |
| User interaction (UI:N) | No user interaction |
| Confidentiality (VC:N) | No confidentiality impact |
| Integrity (VI:H) | High integrity impact |
| Availability (VA:N) | No availability impact |
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
About Discourse
CVE-2026-29072 affects Discourse, a product from Discourse. Before acting, confirm where Discourse runs in your estate, who owns it and whether it is reachable from the internet, because exposure decides real risk more than the score alone.
What the flaw is
In plain terms: Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to versions 2026.3.0-latest.1, 2026.2.1, and 2026.1.2, users who do not belong to the allowed policy creation groups can create functional policy acceptance widgets in posts under the right conditions. Versions 2026.3.0-latest.1, 2026.2.1, and 2026.1.2 contain a patch. As a workaround, disable the discourse-policy plugin by disabling the `policy_enabled` site setting.
The weakness class is Missing Authorization. The software does not check permissions before an action.
Based on its CVSS vector, the flaw can be reached over the network, needs no login, and needs no user interaction. Apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.
Affected versions and timeline
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Product | Discourse |
| Affected versions | Discourse from 2026.1.0 before 2026.1.2; Discourse from 2026.2.0 before 2026.2.1; Discourse 2026.3.0 |
| Published | Mar 19, 2026 |
| Last modified | Jun 17, 2026 |
| Added to CISA KEV | Not listed |
| Assigning CNA | security-advisories@github.com |
How to detect it
- Inventory every instance of Discourse and record the running version against the affected range above.
- Check external attack surface scans for internet facing instances of the component.
- Review logs on affected systems for unusual requests, errors or new processes around the vulnerable function.
- Confirm with an authenticated vulnerability scan once your scanner has a check for this CVE.
How to fix it
- Apply the fixed version of Discourse named in the vendor advisory.
- If patching must wait, restrict network access to the affected service and put it behind authentication or a web application firewall rule.
- Rescan after the change to prove the exposure is gone, then close the ticket.
CTEM action plan
| CTEM stage | What to do for this CVE |
|---|---|
| Scope | Add every business service that depends on Discourse to the current CTEM cycle. |
| Discover | Find all instances, including shadow and cloud deployments, and record versions and exposure. |
| Prioritize | Rank using EPSS and CVSS together with asset exposure and business impact. |
| Validate | Confirm the flaw is reachable and exploitable in your environment and that compensating controls work. |
| Mobilize | Assign the fix to the asset owner with a due date matched to the priority, then verify closure. |
CWE References
- CWE-862: Missing Authorization More CVEs with this weakness
Technical References
Frequently asked questions
Related CVEs
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to 2026.6.0, 2026.5.1, 2026.4.2, and 2026.1.5, a malicious second factor name on an attacker-controlled account was not escaped in the delete confirmation dialog, allowing stored cross-site scripting when an administrator impersonated that account. This issue is fixed in versions 2026.6.0, 2026.5.1, 2026.4.2, and 2026.1.5.
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to 2026.6.0, 2026.5.1, 2026.4.2, and 2026.1.5, the signup flow could allow newly registered users to set primary_group_id and gain whisper-group privileges without legitimate group membership on sites with whispers_allowed_groups configured. This issue is fixed in versions 2026.6.0, 2026.5.1, 2026.4.2, and 2026.1.5.
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to 2026.6.0, 2026.5.1, 2026.4.2, and 2026.1.5, under certain non-default configurations, processing of PDF uploads could be exploited to obtain RCE on the server. This issue is patched in 2026.6.0, 2026.5.1, 2026.4.2, and 2026.1.5.
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Versions prior to 2026.3.0-latest.1, 2026.2.1, and 2026.1.2 have a lack of visibility checks with a user action API endpoint that results in disclosure of the title and post excerpt to unauthorized users, leading to information disclosure. Versions 2026.3.0-latest.1, 2026.2.1, and 2026.1.2 contain a patch. No known workarounds are available.
Discourse is an open source discussion platform. In versions prior to 3.5.4, 2025.11.2, 2025.12.1, and 2026.1.0, a hostname validation issue in FinalDestination could allow bypassing SSRF protections under certain conditions. This issue is patched in versions 3.5.4, 2025.11.2, 2025.12.1, and 2026.1.0. No known workarounds are available.
In Telecomm, there is a possible way to initiate an unauthorized phone call due to a permissions bypass. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
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