CVE-2023-38684: Discourse vulnerable to ossible DDoS due to unbounded limits in various controller actions

Published Jul 28, 2023
·
Updated

Discourse is an open source discussion platform. Prior to version 3.0.6 of the stable branch and version 3.1.0.beta7 of the beta and tests-passed branches, in multiple controller actions, Discourse accepts limit params but does not impose any upper bound on the values being accepted. Without an upper bound, the software may allow arbitrary users to generate DB queries which may end up exhausting the resources on the server. The issue is patched in version 3.0.6 of the stable branch and version 3.1.0.beta7 of the beta and tests-passed branches. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Affected Software

212 affected components
Discourse Discourse<3.0.6
Discourse Discourse=1.1.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=1.1.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=1.1.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=1.1.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=1.1.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=1.1.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=1.1.0-beta6b
Discourse Discourse=1.1.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=1.1.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=1.2.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=1.2.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=1.2.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=1.2.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=1.2.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=1.2.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=1.2.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=1.2.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=1.2.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=1.3.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=1.3.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=1.3.0-beta11
Discourse Discourse=1.3.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=1.3.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=1.3.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=1.3.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=1.3.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=1.3.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=1.3.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=1.3.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=1.4.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=1.4.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=1.4.0-beta11
Discourse Discourse=1.4.0-beta12
Discourse Discourse=1.4.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=1.4.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=1.4.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=1.4.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=1.4.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=1.4.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=1.4.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=1.4.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta11
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta12
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta13
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta13b
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta14
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=1.5.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=1.6.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=1.6.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=1.6.0-beta11
Discourse Discourse=1.6.0-beta12
Discourse Discourse=1.6.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=1.6.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=1.6.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=1.6.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=1.6.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=1.6.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=1.6.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=1.6.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=1.7.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=1.7.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=1.7.0-beta11
Discourse Discourse=1.7.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=1.7.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=1.7.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=1.7.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=1.7.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=1.7.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=1.7.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=1.7.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta11
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta12
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta13
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=1.8.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta11
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta12
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta13
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta14
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta15
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta16
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta17
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=1.9.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=2.0.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=2.0.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=2.0.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=2.0.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=2.0.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=2.0.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=2.0.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=2.0.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=2.0.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=2.0.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=2.1.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=2.1.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=2.1.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=2.1.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=2.1.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=2.1.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=2.2.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=2.2.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=2.2.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=2.2.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=2.2.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=2.2.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=2.2.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=2.2.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=2.2.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=2.2.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=2.3.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=2.3.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=2.3.0-beta11
Discourse Discourse=2.3.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=2.3.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=2.3.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=2.3.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=2.3.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=2.3.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=2.3.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=2.3.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=2.4.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=2.4.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=2.4.0-beta11
Discourse Discourse=2.4.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=2.4.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=2.4.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=2.4.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=2.4.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=2.4.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=2.4.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=2.4.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=2.5.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=2.5.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=2.5.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=2.5.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=2.5.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=2.5.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=2.5.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=2.6.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=2.6.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=2.6.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=2.6.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=2.6.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=2.6.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=2.7.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=2.7.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=2.7.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=2.7.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=2.7.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=2.7.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=2.7.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=2.7.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=2.7.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=2.8.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=2.8.0-beta10
Discourse Discourse=2.8.0-beta11
Discourse Discourse=2.8.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=2.8.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=2.8.0-beta4
Discourse Discourse=2.8.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=2.8.0-beta6
Discourse Discourse=2.8.0-beta7
Discourse Discourse=2.8.0-beta8
Discourse Discourse=2.8.0-beta9
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=2.9.0-beta9
Discourse Discourse=3.0.0-beta15
Discourse Discourse=3.0.0-beta16
Discourse Discourse=3.1.0-beta1
Discourse Discourse=3.1.0-beta2
Discourse Discourse=3.1.0-beta3
Discourse Discourse=3.1.0-beta5
Discourse Discourse=3.1.0-beta6

Remediation

Patch Available

https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/bfc3132bb22bd5b7e86f428746b89c4d3d7f5a70

Event History

Jul 28, 2023
CVE Published
via MITRE·03:25 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·03:25 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2023-38684?

CVE-2023-38684 has a medium severity level due to improper input validation allowing potential denial of service via high limit parameters.

2

How do I fix CVE-2023-38684?

To fix CVE-2023-38684, update to version 3.0.6 or later in the stable branch, or version 3.1.0.beta7 or later in the beta or tests-passed branches.

3

What versions are affected by CVE-2023-38684?

CVE-2023-38684 affects Discourse versions prior to 3.0.6 for the stable branch and prior to 3.1.0.beta7 for the beta and tests-passed branches.

4

Is CVE-2023-38684 remotely exploitable?

Yes, CVE-2023-38684 can be exploited remotely as it allows attackers to send crafted requests with high limit parameters.

5

What mitigation steps should I take for CVE-2023-38684?

In addition to upgrading, consider implementing input validation measures to restrict limit parameters until the software is updated.

Company

Resources

Contact

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