CVE-2022-23546 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Discourse is vulnerable to private topic leaks via email#send_digest.

Understanding CVE-2022-23546

This CVE-2022-23546 affects Discourse, an open-source discussion platform, in version 2.9.0.beta14.

What is CVE-2022-23546?

In version 2.9.0.beta14 of Discourse, an attacker can exploit maliciously embedded URLs to leak an admin's digest of recent topics, potentially exposing sensitive information.

The Impact of CVE-2022-23546

The impact of this vulnerability is classified as medium severity with a CVSS base score of 5.5. It can lead to high confidentiality impact but requires user interaction for exploitation.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-23546

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows unauthorized actors to access sensitive information via email#send_digest in Discourse version 2.9.0.beta14.

Affected Systems and Versions

Only Discourse version 2.9.0.beta14 is affected by this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

Maliciously embedded URLs are used to exploit this vulnerability, leaking an admin's digest of recent topics.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to upgrade to version 2.9.0.beta15 of Discourse to mitigate this issue. No known workarounds are available for CVE-2022-23546.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update Discourse to the latest version to ensure the security of your platform.

Patching and Updates

Refer to the Discourse security advisories for patch details and stay informed about any security updates.