CVE-2023-22454 Discourse vulnerable to Cross-site Scripting through pending post titles descriptions
Attackers can execute arbitrary scripts via pending post titles in Discourse if the default Content Security Policy is modified or disabled.
- 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
What is CVE-2023-22454?
CVE-2023-22454 is a high-severity cross-site scripting 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 3.0.0.beta16 on the `beta` and `tests-passed` branches, pending post titles can be used for cross-site scripting attacks. Pending posts can be created by unprivileged users when a category has the "require moderator approval of all new topics" setting set. This vulnerability can lead to a full XSS on sites which have modified or disabled Discourse’s default Content Security Policy. A patch is available in versions 2.8.14 and 3.0.0.beta16.
Weakness: CWE-79
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-22454?
1 open source package ship an affected version, including discourse. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
discourse Bitnami | All versions | 2.8.14 |
Products include Discourse Discourse.
How do I fix CVE-2023-22454?
Upgrade discourse to 2.8.14 or later.
Escape output for the context it lands in and set a strict Content Security Policy. Upgrading the affected component is the real fix. More about Cross-site scripting.
Is CVE-2023-22454 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-22454 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Discourse Discourse
- CVE-2021-41163 RCE via malicious SNS subscription payload
- CVE-2022-36066 Discourse vulnerable to RCE via admins uploading maliciously zipped file
- CVE-2022-39356 Discourse user account takeover via email and invite link
- CVE-2023-22468 Discourse vulnerable to Cross-site Scripting in local oneboxes
- CVE-2026-27934 Discourse leaks private topic title and post excerpt via user action API endpoint
Sources
Also known as BIT-discourse-2023-22454, GHSA-ggq4-4qxc-c462.