CVE-2022-46168 : Security Advisory and Response

Group SMTP user emails are exposed in the CC email header in Discourse prior to version 2.8.14 and 2.9.0.beta15. This vulnerability could lead to the exposure of private personal information to an unauthorized actor.

Understanding CVE-2022-46168

This CVE highlights a security issue in the Discourse platform that allows recipients of a group SMTP email to view the email addresses of all other users within the group SMTP topic.

What is CVE-2022-46168?

Discourse, an open-source discussion platform, had a vulnerability where email addresses of group members were visible in the CC email header, potentially exposing private information.

The Impact of CVE-2022-46168

The exposure of email addresses in the CC email header could lead to privacy violations and unauthorized access to personal information, posing a risk to user confidentiality.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-46168

The vulnerability in Discourse stemmed from the lack of email address masking in group SMTP emails, affecting versions prior to 2.8.14 on the stable branch and 2.9.0.beta15 on the beta and tests-passed branches.

Vulnerability Description

Recipients of group SMTP emails could see email addresses of all users within the group, potentially compromising user privacy and security.

Affected Systems and Versions

Vendor: Discourse
Product: Discourse
Affected Versions:
< 2.8.14

= 2.9.0.beta0, < 2.9.0.beta15

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers could exploit this vulnerability by leveraging group SMTP emails to extract email addresses of all group members from the CC email header.

Mitigation and Prevention

To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2022-46168, immediate steps should be taken to address the vulnerability and protect user data.

Immediate Steps to Take

Disable group SMTP for any groups that have it enabled as a temporary workaround to prevent further exposure of email addresses.

Long-Term Security Practices

Ensure that Discourse is updated to versions 2.8.14 and 2.9.0.beta15 or later to apply the necessary patch that addresses the vulnerability.

Patching and Updates

Apply the recommended security patches provided by Discourse to prevent the exposure of user email addresses and enhance overall platform security.