CVE-2026-91157 — Discourse: Media uploads remain publicly accessible after category permissions are restricted
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to 2026.9.0, 2026.8.1, 2026.7.3, and 2026.1.9, sites with secure uploads enabled did not reconcile existing upload security metadata when a previously public category became read-restricted or when category permissions changed during a bulk import. Media and attachments uploaded while the category was public retained a public accessibility flag and remained reachable by anonymous users through their short upload URLs, including uploads associated with deleted topics. This issue is fixed in versions 2026.9.0, 2026.8.1, 2026.7.3, and 2026.1.9.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 0.5% (30-day exploitation probability)+6
- Technical severity (high)+6
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Discourse Discourse).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (info disclosure), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 3.9 | 3.6 | security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N (score shown at the top: security-advisories@github.com) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Look for anomalous data read/export volumes and access to sensitive records.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · discourse/discourse
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 7.5
- Source status changed · → Deferred
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× References added · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026
References
5 on the record
- github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/83f5f9f1df7ddc79ec0950e1b2038ba659635708
- github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/16017732981fdb3ee65d7b3c69c573610bf02aab
- github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/b2fb98394b2636b29e850f06b0029f8ca8b48458
- github.com/discourse/discourse/security/advisories/GHSA-298h-xgw6-4pv3
- github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/98f1c021d0e956cded5239a5d8a6afe2b9e1b7e7
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-91156 Discourse: Chat MessageBus delivers read-restricted messages to unauthorized users 1d
- High CVE-2026-91159 Discourse: Stored oEmbed HTML injection via allowed iframe 1d
- Medium CVE-2026-91120 Discourse: Stored HTML injection in video notification emails 21d
- Medium CVE-2026-91121 Discourse: Chat upload filenames rendered as raw HTML in excerpts 21d
- Medium CVE-2026-91119 Discourse: Encode action_code_who in mention URLs 21d
- Medium CVE-2026-91134 Discourse: Block post iframes whose encoded userinfo bypasses the allowed_iframes allowlist 21d
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No CISA SSVC assessment.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-91157 is "Discourse: Media uploads remain publicly accessible after category permissions are restricted", rated High. It affects Discourse (Discourse); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.5 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.48% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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