dbcve.org
DiscourseApplication

CVE-2025-68666

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.5.4 / 2025.11.2 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 discussion platform. In versions prior to 3.5.4, 2025.11.2, 2025.12.1, and 2026.1.0, users archives are viewable by users with moderation privileges even though moderators should not have access to the archives. Private topic/post content made by the users are leaked through the archives leading to a breach of confidentiality. This issue is patched in versions 3.5.4, 2025.11.2, 2025.12.1, and 2026.1.0. To work around this problem, a site admin can temporarily revoke the moderation role from all moderators until the Discourse instance has been upgraded to a version that has been patched.

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 access control bypass where moderators can view user archives containing private topic and post content that should remain confidential. The vulnerability stems from insufficient authorization checks that allow moderation-privileged users to access archive data intended to be restricted.

MitigationUpgrade Discourse to version 3.5.4, 2025.11.2, 2025.12.1, or 2026.1.0 to patch the authorization flaw. As a temporary workaround, revoke moderation roles from all users until the upgrade is completed.

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:< 3.5.4>= 2025.11.0, < 2025.11.2= 2025.12.0= 2026.1.0

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Determine installed Discourse version
    Run `cd /var/www/discourse && git describe --tags` or check the admin dashboard at /admin/about under ' Discourse version'. Alternatively, inspect the VERSION file in the Discourse root directory.
    Affected if The installed version is < 3.5.4, or between 2025.11.0 and 2025.11.2 (inclusive), or exactly 2025.12.0, or exactly 2026.1.0
  2. Identify users with moderator privileges
    In the Discourse admin panel, navigate to /admin/users/list/moderators to view all accounts with moderator access. Alternatively, query the database: `SELECT id, username FROM users WHERE moderator = true OR admin = true;`
    Affected if Any user accounts with moderator or admin privileges exist in the system
  3. Verify archive feature accessibility
    Check if the user archive functionality is accessible by attempting to access /archive or reviewing routes.rb for archive-related routes. In admin, verify if any user has accessed the archive export feature via /admin/users/{user_id}/export_archive.
    Affected if The archive export feature is enabled and accessible to moderator accounts
  4. Review audit logs for archive access
    Check Discourse audit logs at /logs or query the staff_action_logs table for actions involving 'anonymize_user' or archive exports. Look for entries where moderator users accessed other users' private content.
    Affected if Moderator or admin users have accessed user archive data belonging to other users

You are affected if your Discourse installation version falls within the vulnerable ranges listed AND you have moderator or admin users who could potentially access archive data.

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 3.5.4 / 2025.11.2 or later
Fixed in 3.5.42025.11.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Discourse to version 3.5.4, 2025.11.2, 2025.12.1, or 2026.1.0 to patch the authorization flaw. As a temporary workaround, revoke moderation roles from all users until the upgrade is completed.

Recommended fix High confidence

3.5.4, 2025.11.2, 2025.12.1, or 2026.1.0 (depending on your current version branch)

  1. Back up your Discourse instance (database, uploads, and configurations)
  2. Identify your current Discourse version branch (3.x, 2025.11.x, 2025.12.x, or 2026.1.x)
  3. Upgrade Discourse to the appropriate fixed version: 3.5.4 for 3.x branch, 2025.11.2 for 2025.11.x, 2025.12.1 for 2025.12.x, or 2026.1.0 for 2026.1.x
  4. After upgrading, verify that moderators can no longer access user archives
  5. If you previously implemented the workaround (revoked moderation roles), restore the moderation role to moderators

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

Fix this in Discourse Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,690
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,304.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-68666 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2025-68666 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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