CVE-2026-28227 Discourse Vulnerable to Unauthorized Topic Creation in Staff-Only Categories via Topic Timer publish_to_category
TL4 users can bypass authorization checks to publish topics into staff-only categories using the topic timer feature.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-28227?
CVE-2026-28227 is a low-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Discourse Discourse, published on 26 Feb 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Discourse is an open source discussion platform. Prior to versions 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1, and 2026.2.0, TL4 users can publish topics into staff-only categories via the `publish_to_category` topic timer, bypassing authorization checks. Versions 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1, and 2026.2.0 patch the issue. No known workarounds are available.
Weakness: CWE-863
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-28227?
1 open source package ship an affected version, including discourse. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
discourse Bitnami | All versions | 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1 |
Products include Discourse Discourse.
How do I fix CVE-2026-28227?
Upgrade discourse to a fixed version for your release line: 2025.12.2 or 2026.1.1.
Upgrade, and check permissions on every request on the server, not only in the interface. More about Missing authorization.
Is CVE-2026-28227 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-28227 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-2026-28227, GHSA-m49w-78mh-87jp.