CVE-2026-33410 MEDIUM

CVE-2026-33410: Discourse hardens chat DM channel creation and expansion

Vendor Discourse
Product discourse
Weakness CWE-863 · Incorrect authorization
Published March 19, 2026
Last update March 20, 2026

CVSS base score

5.4/10
Attack vector Network
Attack complexity Low
Privileges required Low
User interaction None
Confidentiality Low
Integrity Low

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

What the vulnerability does

01Description

Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Versions prior to 2026.3.0-latest.1, 2026.2.1, and 2026.1.2 have two authorization issues in the chat direct message API. First, when creating a direct message channel or adding users to an existing one, the `target_groups` parameter was passed directly to the user resolution query without checking group or member visibility for the acting user. An authenticated chat user could craft an API request with a known private/hidden group name and receive a channel containing that group's members, leaking their identities. Second, `can_chat?` only checked group membership, not the `chat_enabled` user preference. A chat-disabled user could create or query DM channels between other users via the direct messages API, potentially exposing private `last_message` content from the serialized channel response. Versions 2026.3.0-latest.1, 2026.2.1, and 2026.1.2 contain a patch. No known workarounds are available.

Key dates

02Disclosure timeline

March 19, 2026 CVE published
March 20, 2026 Record updated