CVE-2023-36818 : Security Advisory and Response

A denial of service vulnerability has been identified in Discourse, an open-source discussion platform, allowing for unlimited link creation in the user custom sidebar section. Here's what you need to know about CVE-2023-36818.

Understanding CVE-2023-36818

This section provides an overview of the CVE-2023-36818 vulnerability affecting Discourse.

What is CVE-2023-36818?

In affected versions of Discourse, a request to create or update a custom sidebar section can lead to a denial of service condition due to uncontrolled resource consumption.

The Impact of CVE-2023-36818

The vulnerability poses a medium severity risk with a CVSS base score of 6.5. It has a high impact on availability, affecting the normal operation of the platform.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-36818

Get insights into the technical aspects of CVE-2023-36818, including how systems are affected and how the exploitation occurs.

Vulnerability Description

The issue arises from uncontrolled resource consumption during the creation or modification of a custom sidebar section in Discourse, leading to a denial of service.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability impacts Discourse version 3.1.0beta5, and prior, putting these versions at risk of exploitation.

Exploitation Mechanism

An attacker can trigger the vulnerability by sending crafted requests to manipulate the custom sidebar section, exhausting resources and causing a denial of service.

Mitigation and Prevention

Discover the necessary steps to take to mitigate the risk associated with CVE-2023-36818.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are strongly advised to update their Discourse installation to the patched version to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability. The fix is available in commit

52b003d915

.

Long-Term Security Practices

Incorporate secure coding practices and regularly update Discourse to stay protected against potential security threats.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security patches and updates released by Discourse to address known vulnerabilities and enhance platform security.