Auth bypass in Discourse
CVE-2025-68666
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.
Vulnerability class: Broken Access Control
EPSS: 0.003 (17.9th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
Affected products
- Discourse — versions >= 2026.1.0-latest, < 2026.1.0, >= 2025.12.0-latest, < 2025.12.1, < 3.5.4
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Third Party Advisory, Mitigation)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2025-68666?
- CVE-2025-68666 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Discourse, classified under Incorrect Authorization. CVSS score: 6.5/10. Published 2026-01-28.
- How severe is CVE-2025-68666?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.5 out of 10.