CVE-2022-46168: Group SMTP user emails are exposed in CC email header

Published Jan 5, 2023
·
Updated

Discourse is an option source discussion platform. Prior to version 2.8.14 on the stable branch and version 2.9.0.beta15 on the beta and tests-passed branches, recipients of a group SMTP email could see the email addresses of all other users inside the group SMTP topic. Most of the time this is not an issue as they are likely already familiar with one another's email addresses. This issue is patched in versions 2.8.14 and 2.9.0.beta15. The fix is that someone sending emails out via group SMTP to non-staged users masks those emails with blind carbon copy (BCC). Staged users are ones that have likely only interacted with the group via email, and will likely include other people who were CC'd on the original email to the group. As a workaround, disable group SMTP for any groups that have it enabled.

Affected Software

15 affected components
Discourse Discourse<2.8.14
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta11
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta12
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta13
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta14
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=2.9.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=3.0.0-beta15

Event History

Jan 5, 2023
CVE Published
via MITRE·05:18 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·05:18 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·06:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the vulnerability identified by CVE-2022-46168?

CVE-2022-46168 is a vulnerability in Discourse that allows recipients of a group SMTP email to see the email addresses of all other users within the same group.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2022-46168?

The severity rating for CVE-2022-46168 has not been explicitly classified, but it poses privacy risks for email addresses.

3

How do I fix CVE-2022-46168?

To address CVE-2022-46168, upgrade Discourse to version 2.8.14 or higher on the stable branch or version 2.9.0.beta15 or higher on the beta and tests-passed branches.

4

What versions of Discourse are affected by CVE-2022-46168?

CVE-2022-46168 affects Discourse versions prior to 2.8.14 on stable and certain beta versions before 2.9.0.beta15.

5

Is CVE-2022-46168 a remote code execution vulnerability?

No, CVE-2022-46168 is not a remote code execution vulnerability; it primarily concerns the exposure of email addresses.

Contact

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