CVE-2023-23616
Discourse membership requests lack character limit
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to version 3.0.1 on the stable branch and 3.1.0.beta2 on the beta and tests-passed branches, when submitting a membership request, there is no character limit for the reason provided with the request. This could potentially allow a user to flood the database with a large amount of data. However it is unlikely this could be used as part of a DoS attack, as the paths reading back the reasons are only available to administrators. Starting in version 3.0.1 on the stable branch and 3.1.0.beta2 on the beta and tests-passed branches, a limit of 280 characters has been introduced for membership requests.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Low
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
Discourse membership requests lack character limit
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to version 3.0.1 on the stable branch and 3.1.0.beta2 on the beta and tests-passed branches, when submitting a membership request, there is no character limit for the reason provided with the request. This could potentially allow a user to flood the database with a large amount of data. However it is unlikely this could be used as part of a DoS attack, as the paths reading back the reasons are only available to administrators. Starting in version 3.0.1 on the stable branch and 3.1.0.beta2 on the beta and tests-passed branches, a limit of 280 characters has been introduced for membership requests.
- Record
CVE-2023-23616- CVSS 3.1
- 3.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-400
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-27712
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to version 3.0.1 on the stable branch and 3.1.0.beta2 on the beta and tests-passed branches, when submitting a membership request, there is no character limit for the reason provided with the request. This could potentially allow a user to flood the database with a large amount of data. However it is unlikely this could be used as part of a DoS attack, as the paths reading back the reasons are only available to administrators. Starting in version 3.0.1 on the stable branch and 3.1.0.beta2 on the beta and tests-passed branches, a limit of 280 characters has been introduced for membership requests.
- Record
EUVD-2023-27712- CVSS 3.1
- 3.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to version 3.0.1 on the stable branch and 3.1.0.beta2 on the beta and tests-passed branches, when submitting a membership request, there is no character limit for the reason provided with the request. This could potentially allow a user to flood the database with a large amount of data. However it is unlikely this could be used as part of a DoS attack, as the paths reading back the reasons are only available to administrators. Starting in version 3.0.1 on the stable branch and 3.1.0.beta2 on the beta and tests-passed branches, a limit of 280 characters has been introduced for membership requests.
- Record
CVE-2023-23616- CVSS 3.1
- 3.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-400
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
Discourse membership requests lack character limit
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to version 3.0.1 on the stable branch and 3.1.0.beta2 on the beta and tests-passed branches, when submitting a membership request, there is no character limit for the reason provided with the request. This could potentially allow a user to flood the database with a large amount of data. However it is unlikely this could be used as part of a DoS attack, as the paths reading back the reasons are only available to administrators. Starting in version 3.0.1 on the stable branch and 3.1.0.beta2 on the beta and tests-passed branches, a limit of 280 characters has been introduced for membership requests.
- Record
CVE-2023-23616- CVSS 3.1
- 3.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-400
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVBIT-discourse-2023-23616 No score
Discourse membership requests lack character limit
Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to version 3.0.1 on the stable branch and 3.1.0.beta2 on the beta and tests-passed branches, when submitting a membership request, there is no character limit for the reason provided with the request. This could potentially allow a user to flood the database with a large amount of data. However it is unlikely this could be used as part of a DoS attack, as the paths reading back the reasons are only available to administrators. Starting in version 3.0.1 on the stable branch and 3.1.0.beta2 on the beta and tests-passed branches, a limit of 280 characters has been introduced for membership requests.
- Record
BIT-discourse-2023-23616- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
discourseBitnami |
before 3.0.1 | 3.0.1 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2023-23616 is a low vulnerability (CVSS 3.5) in Discourse, published January 27, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.71%, the 53rd percentile. Fixed in discourse 3.0.1.
References
github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/19993
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-23616