CVE-2026-44784: Discourse: Non-staff group owners can see email password in plaintext through group history
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. From versions 2026.1.0-latest to before 2026.1.4, 2026.3.0-latest to before 2026.3.1, and 2026.4.0-latest to before 2026.4.1, group owners who are not necessarily admins or moderators can view a group's outgoing email/SMTP credentials in plaintext via the group history log (/groups/:name/logs.json). Affected fields: emailpassword, emailusername, smtpserver, smtpport, smtpsslmode. The most sensitive item is the SMTP password, which an owner could use to send mail as the group from outside Discourse. This impacts sites that have configured per-group SMTP credentials and granted group ownership to users who should not have access to those credentials. This issue has been patched in versions 2026.1.4, 2026.3.1, 2026.4.1, and 2026.5.0-latest.1.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
Discourseto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 2026.1.4 - Upgrade
Upgrade
Discourseto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 2026.3.1 - Upgrade
Upgrade
Discourseto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 2026.4.1 - Upgrade
Upgrade
Discourseto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 2026.5.0-latest.1 - Configuration
If you have configured per-group SMTP credentials, remove or disable them for groups where owners should not have access to SMTP credentials to prevent exposure via group history logs.
Discourse per-group SMTP credentials = disabled/removed where not required - Configuration
Revoke group ownership or restrict assignment of group owner role for users who should not have access to a group's SMTP/email credentials.
Discourse group ownership assignments = revoke or restrict
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-44784?
CVE-2026-44784 has a medium severity rating of 6.5.
How do I fix CVE-2026-44784?
To fix CVE-2026-44784, update Discourse to version 2026.1.4, 2026.3.1, or 2026.4.1 or later.
What is the impact of CVE-2026-44784?
CVE-2026-44784 allows non-staff group owners to see email passwords in plaintext through group history.
Who is affected by CVE-2026-44784?
Non-staff group owners in Discourse versions prior to 2026.1.4, 2026.3.1, and 2026.4.1 are affected by CVE-2026-44784.
What versions of Discourse are vulnerable to CVE-2026-44784?
Discourse versions 2026.1.0-latest to before 2026.1.4, 2026.3.0-latest to before 2026.3.1, and 2026.4.0-latest to before 2026.4.1 are vulnerable.