CVE-2023-31142
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedDiscourse 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, if a site has modified their general category permissions, they could be set back to the default. This issue is patched in version 3.0.4 of the `stable` branch and version 3.1.0.beta5 of the `beta` and `tests-passed` branches. A workaround, only if you are modifying the general category permissions, is to use a new category for the same purpose.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceIn Discourse versions prior to 3.0.4 (stable) and 3.1.0.beta5 (beta/tests-passed), a logic flaw causes custom category permissions to be reset to defaults during certain operations, potentially exposing content to unintended visibility.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 3.0.4= 3.1.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine Discourse versionLog into the Discourse admin panel and navigate to /admin/about, or check the VERSION file in the Discourse installation directoryAffected if Version is below 3.0.4 (stable) or below 3.1.0.beta5, or exactly 3.1.0
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Identify custom category permissionsIn the admin panel, go to Categories and review each category. Click on each category and inspect the 'Permissions' section to see if any non-default permissions have been configured (other than the standard everyone/staff/trust level settings)Affected if Custom permissions exist (e.g., specific group access restrictions beyond defaults)
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Verify current permission stateAfter performing category operations (creating, editing, or moving categories), re-inspect the category permissions panel to confirm custom settings remain intactAffected if Custom permissions have been unexpectedly reset to default values after category modifications
You are affected if running a version prior to 3.0.4 or 3.1.0.beta5 (or exactly 3.1.0) AND you have configured custom category permissions, especially if those permissions have unexpectedly reverted after category operations.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped3.0.4
Upgrade Discourse to version 3.0.4 or 3.1.0.beta5 or later. As a temporary workaround, create a new category instead of modifying the general category permissions.
3.0.4 (stable branch) or 3.1.0.beta5 (beta/tests-passed branches)
- 1. Back up your Discourse instance and database before proceeding.
- 2. If you are on the stable branch and version < 3.0.4, upgrade to version 3.0.4 or later.
- 3. If you are on the beta or tests-passed branch and version < 3.1.0.beta5, upgrade to version 3.1.0.beta5 or later.
- 4. After upgrading, verify that your custom category permissions are preserved and not reset to defaults.
- 5. If you cannot upgrade immediately and are modifying general category permissions, create a new category for that purpose as a temporary workaround.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-31142 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-31142 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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