Security Resilience

CVE-2023-32301

Discourse ≤ 3.0.4

Published
13 June 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 3.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0042 35th percentile
Risk Priority 28 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2023-32301 is a low-severity Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output (CWE-116) vulnerability in Discourse Discourse. Its CVSS base score is 3.1 (Low).

Operationally, ranked at the 35th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Discourse is an open source discussion platform. Prior to version 3.0.4 of the `stable` branch and version 3.1.0.beta5 of the `beta` and `tests-passed` branches, multiple duplicate topics could be created if topic embedding is enabled. This issue is patched in…

more

version 3.0.4 of the `stable` branch and version 3.1.0.beta5 of the `beta` and `tests-passed` branches. As a workaround, disable topic embedding if it has been enabled.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-66488Same product: Discourse Discourse
CVE-2025-48062Same product: Discourse Discourse
CVE-2026-28219Same product: Discourse Discourse
CVE-2023-22468Same product: Discourse Discourse
CVE-2023-25172Same product: Discourse Discourse
CVE-2023-30606Same product: Discourse Discourse
CVE-2024-28242Same product: Discourse Discourse
CVE-2023-37467Same product: Discourse Discourse
CVE-2024-39320Same product: Discourse Discourse
CVE-2024-37299Same product: Discourse Discourse

Affected Assets

discourse
discourse
3.1.0 · ≤ 3.0.4

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-116

Validating that output matches expected content directly mitigates failures to properly encode or escape data for its destination context.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

blocks

A.8.25 mandates secure SDLC practices including secure coding guidelines, security requirements, checkpoints, testing (scans/penetration), and developer training that reach output encoding/escaping to stop injection-style exploits, but leaves a bounded remainder (e.g. ad-hoc/non-SDLC code changes, incomplete guideline enforcement, or non-software outputs)

blocks

Application security requirements include explicit rules for safe output handling and encoding.

blocks

A.8.27 mandates security-by-design principles (including distrust external input, secure session control, data validation/sanitization, defense-in-depth, and design reviews against attack patterns) that reach output encoding/escaping for many common channels, but leaves a bounded remainder (e.g. ad-hoc or non-reviewed custom protocols, unsafe string concatenation in obscure sinks, or cases where the principles are only documented and not enforced in implementation).

prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly require correct output encoding and escaping to preserve message structure.

finds

Security testing can detect missing or incorrect encoding but does not itself implement the control.

Hardening callouts derived

DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.

  • No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-116, a class-level weakness, and none of its children carries one either.

References