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DiscourseApplication

CVE-2024-49765

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.3.3 / 3.4.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Discourse is an open source platform for community discussion. Sites that are using discourse connect but still have local logins enabled could allow attackers to bypass discourse connect to create accounts and login. This problem is patched in the latest version of Discourse. Users unable to upgrade who are using discourse connect may disable all other login methods as a workaround.

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 confidence

This is an authentication bypass vulnerability in Discourse where sites using DiscourseConnect (SSO) but still having local logins enabled allow attackers to bypass the DiscourseConnect authentication mechanism and create accounts or login directly through local authentication methods.

MitigationUpgrade to the latest Discourse version, or if unable to upgrade, disable all local login methods and only allow DiscourseConnect authentication.

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
DiscourseApplication
Affected:< 3.3.3< 3.4.0= 3.4.0

CVSS 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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Discourse version
    Access the Rails console or admin panel and run: Discourse::VERSION::STRING or check /admin/about. Compare the version number to the affected ranges: < 3.3.3, < 3.4.0, or = 3.4.0
    Affected if Installed version falls within < 3.3.3, < 3.4.0, or = 3.4.0
  2. Verify DiscourseConnect SSO is enabled
    Check the site settings for DiscourseConnect. In admin panel, go to Plugins > DiscourseConnect or check the discourse_connect_enabled site setting. Alternatively, inspect the /etc/discourse/containers/app.yml for DISCOURSE_SSO_ENABLED or review the discourse_connect_settings table in the database.
    Affected if DiscourseConnect SSO is configured and enabled
  3. Confirm local authentication methods are enabled
    Check admin panel under Settings > Login, or query the site_settings table for settings like allow_local_log_in, enable_local_logins, email_login, and signup_enabled. Verify if any local auth methods remain active.
    Affected if One or more local login methods (password, email login, local signup) are enabled alongside SSO

Environment is affected if running a vulnerable Discourse version AND using DiscourseConnect SSO while local authentication methods remain enabled.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.3.3 / 3.4.0 or later
Fixed in 3.3.33.4.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to the latest Discourse version, or if unable to upgrade, disable all local login methods and only allow DiscourseConnect authentication.

Recommended fix High confidence

Discourse 3.4.1 or later (latest stable release)

  1. 1. Back up your Discourse instance database and configuration files before proceeding with the upgrade.
  2. 2. Ensure you have a recent backup of your application data.
  3. 3. Upgrade your Discourse installation to version 3.4.1 or later (or the latest stable release).
  4. 4. After upgrading, verify that the discourse connect functionality is working correctly.
  5. 5. If you cannot upgrade immediately and are using Discourse Connect, disable all other login methods (local logins) as a temporary mitigation by going to Admin > Settings > Login and disabling local login options.
Caveat Standard Discourse upgrade considerations apply - test in staging first, review plugin compatibility, and ensure backups are functional

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Discourse Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-49765 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data