Auth bypass in Discourse
CVE-2025-68933
Discourse is an open source discussion platform. In versions prior to 3.5.4, 2025.11.2, 2025.12.1, and 2026.1.0, non-admin moderators with the `moderators_change_post_ownership` setting enabled can change ownership of posts in private messages and restricted categories they cannot access, then export their data to view the content. This is a broken access control vulnerability affecting sites that grant moderators post ownership transfer permissions. This issue is patched in versions 3.5.4, 2025.11.2, 2025.12.1, and 2026.1.0. The patch adds visibility checks for both the topic and posts before allowing ownership transfer. As a workaround, disable the `moderators_change_post_ownership` site setting to prevent non-admin moderators from using the post ownership transfer feature.
Vulnerability class: Broken Access Control
EPSS: 0.001 (3.4th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.9 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:H/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-2025-68933?
- CVE-2025-68933 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Discourse, classified under Incorrect Authorization. CVSS score: 6.9/10. Published 2026-01-28.
- How severe is CVE-2025-68933?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.9 out of 10.