CVE-2023-23935Network attack vector

Restricted-message activity disclosure via exposed tag counts

Published Mar 16, 2023 · Updated Feb 25, 2025

Information disclosure in Discourse stable 3.0.1 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to infer restricted-message activity via tag counts. The tag_counts_json path returns Topic#pm_topic_count, an aggregate over all tagged personal messages, without filtering the count to messages visible to the requester. Access to personal-message tags is required; repeated queries reveal only whether message activity changed, not message contents, across stable, beta, and tests-passed branches.

CVSS severity3.5
Low
EPSS probability0.50%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Information disclosure in Discourse stable 3.0.1 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to infer restricted-message activity via tag counts. The tag_counts_json path returns Topic#pm_topic_count, an aggregate over all tagged personal messages, without filtering the count to messages visible to the requester. Access to personal-message tags is required; repeated queries reveal only whether message activity changed, not message contents, across stable, beta, and tests-passed branches.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-23935
Published
Mar 16, 2023
Updated
Feb 25, 2025
Vendor
Discourse
Product
Discourse
Classifications
CWE-200
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 16, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 25, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=beta <= 3.1.0.beta2
  2. Affected versionversion=stable <= 3.0.1
  3. Affected versionversion=tests-passed <= 3.1.0.beta2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Discourse · Discourseversion=beta <= 3.1.0.beta2; version=stable <= 3.0.1; version=tests-passed <= 3.1.0.beta2

Published CVSS scores

3.5GitHubCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-200Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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