CVE-2026-32273 Discourse: XSS on category description update via API

What is CVE-2026-32273?

CVE-2026-32273 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in Discourse Discourse, published on 31 Mar 2026. 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 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, updating a category description via API is not sanitizing the description string, which can lead to XSS attacks. This issue has been patched in versions 2026.1.3, 2026.2.2, and 2026.3.0.

Weakness: CWE-79

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-32273?

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

Products include Discourse Discourse.

How do I fix CVE-2026-32273?

Upgrade discourse to a fixed version for your release line: 2026.1.3 or 2026.2.2.

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-2026-32273 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-32273 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Discourse Discourse

• CVE-2021-41163 RCE via malicious SNS subscription payload Critical 10.0
• CVE-2022-36066 Discourse vulnerable to RCE via admins uploading maliciously zipped file Critical 9.1
• CVE-2022-39356 Discourse user account takeover via email and invite link High 8.9
• CVE-2023-22468 Discourse vulnerable to Cross-site Scripting in local oneboxes High 8.8
• CVE-2026-27934 Discourse leaks private topic title and post excerpt via user action API endpoint High 8.7

All Discourse Discourse vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as BIT-discourse-2026-32273, GHSA-h2h4-767x-6pc8.