# CVE-2022-46168: Group SMTP user emails are exposed in CC email header

> Attackers can view other users' email addresses in group SMTP emails due to missing BCC masking, exposing private contact information.

- **Severity:** Low 3.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 5 Jan 2023
- **Updated:** 10 Mar 2025
- **Also known as:** BIT-discourse-2022-46168, GHSA-8p7g-3wm6-p3rm

## What is CVE-2022-46168?

CVE-2022-46168 is a low-severity vulnerability in Discourse Discourse, published on 5 Jan 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Discourse is an option source discussion platform. Prior to version 2.8.14 on the `stable` branch and version 2.9.0.beta15 on the `beta` and `tests-passed` branches, recipients of a group SMTP email could see the email addresses of all other users inside the group SMTP topic. Most of the time this is not an issue as they are likely already familiar with one another's email addresses. This issue is patched in versions 2.8.14 and 2.9.0.beta15. The fix is that someone sending emails out via group SMTP to non-staged users masks those emails with blind carbon copy (BCC). Staged users are ones that have likely only interacted with the group via email, and will likely include other people who were CC'd on the original email to the group. As a workaround, disable group SMTP for any groups that have it enabled.

Weakness: CWE-359 (Exposure of Private Personal Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-46168?

1 open source package ship an affected version, including discourse. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `discourse` | Bitnami | All versions | 2.8.14 |

Products: Discourse Discourse.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-46168?

Upgrade discourse to 2.8.14 or later.

## Is CVE-2022-46168 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-46168 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Discourse Discourse

- [CVE-2021-41163](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-41163/): RCE via malicious SNS subscription payload (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2022-36066](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-36066/): Discourse vulnerable to RCE via admins uploading maliciously zipped file (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2022-39356](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-39356/): Discourse user account takeover via email and invite link (high 8.9)
- [CVE-2023-22468](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-22468/): Discourse vulnerable to Cross-site Scripting in local oneboxes (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-27934](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-27934/): Discourse leaks private topic title and post excerpt via user action API endpoint (high 8.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-46168 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-46168 is a low-severity vulnerability in Discourse Discourse, published on 5 Jan 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-46168 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- discourse (Bitnami): affected all versions; fixed in 2.8.14

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-46168/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-46168/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-46168
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-46168
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-46168

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-46168/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.