CVE-2022-39226 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Discourse user profile location and website fields were not sufficiently length-limited.

Understanding CVE-2022-39226

This CVE affects Discourse, an open source discussion platform, in versions prior to 2.8.9 on the

stable

branch and prior to 2.9.0.beta10 on the

beta

and

tests-passed

branches.

What is CVE-2022-39226?

In certain versions of Discourse, a malicious actor can manipulate user profile fields to cause issues for other users when viewing the profile. The vulnerability allows the insertion of large text payloads into the Location and Website fields.

The Impact of CVE-2022-39226

The impact of this vulnerability is rated as MEDIUM. It has a CVSS base score of 4.3, with low attack complexity and network vector. While it does not directly impact confidentiality or integrity, it can lead to availability issues for affected users.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-39226

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from a lack of proper length limitation on user input for the Location and Website fields in user profiles, allowing bad actors to disrupt the experience of other users.

Affected Systems and Versions

The versions of Discourse affected include those prior to 2.8.9 on the

stable

branch and prior to 2.9.0.beta10 on the

beta

and

tests-passed

branches.

Exploitation Mechanism

Malicious actors can exploit this vulnerability by adding excessively large text payloads into the Location and Website fields of user profiles.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Users and administrators are advised to update Discourse to version 2.8.9 on the

stable

branch or version 2.9.0.beta10 on the

beta

and

tests-passed

branches to mitigate this vulnerability.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement proper input validation mechanisms to prevent such vulnerabilities in the future. Regular security audits and updates are recommended.

Patching and Updates

Apply the available fixes provided in version 2.8.9 and 2.9.0.beta10 to address this vulnerability effectively.