CVE-2024-53991
Potential Backup file leaked via Nginx in Discourse
Discourse is an open source platform for community discussion. This vulnerability only impacts Discourse instances configured to use FileStore::LocalStore which means uploads and backups are stored locally on disk. If an attacker knows the name of the Discourse backup file, the attacker can trick nginx into sending the Discourse backup file with a well crafted request. This issue is patched in the latest stable, beta and tests-passed versions of Discourse. Users are advised to upgrade. Users unable to upgrade can either 1. Download all local backups on to another storage device, disable the enable_backups site setting and delete all backups until the site has been upgraded to pull in the fix. Or 2. Change the backup_location site setting to s3 so that backups are stored and downloaded directly from S3.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
7.5
Potential Backup file leaked via Nginx in Discourse
Discourse is an open source platform for community discussion. This vulnerability only impacts Discourse instances configured to use FileStore::LocalStore which means uploads and backups are stored locally on disk. If an attacker knows the name of the Discourse backup file, the attacker can trick nginx into sending the Discourse backup file with a well crafted request. This issue is patched in the latest stable, beta and tests-passed versions of Discourse. Users are advised to upgrade. Users unable to upgrade can either 1. Download all local backups on to another storage device, disable the enable_backups site setting and delete all backups until the site has been upgraded to pull in the fix. Or 2. Change the backup_location site setting to s3 so that backups are stored and downloaded directly from S3.
- Record
CVE-2024-53991- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-200
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2024-52229
7.5
Discourse is an open source platform for community discussion. This vulnerability only impacts Discourse instances configured to use FileStore::LocalStore which means uploads and backups are stored locally on disk. If an attacker knows the name of the Discourse backup file, the attacker can trick nginx into sending the Discourse backup file with a well crafted request. This issue is patched in the latest stable, beta and tests-passed versions of Discourse. Users are advised to upgrade. Users unable to upgrade can either 1. Download all local backups on to another storage device, disable the enable_backups site setting and delete all backups until the site has been upgraded to pull in the fix. Or 2. Change the backup_location site setting to s3 so that backups are stored and downloaded directly from S3.
- Record
EUVD-2024-52229- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-03
NVD
7.5
Discourse is an open source platform for community discussion. This vulnerability only impacts Discourse instances configured to use FileStore::LocalStore which means uploads and backups are stored locally on disk. If an attacker knows the name of the Discourse backup file, the attacker can trick nginx into sending the Discourse backup file with a well crafted request. This issue is patched in the latest stable, beta and tests-passed versions of Discourse. Users are advised to upgrade. Users unable to upgrade can either 1. Download all local backups on to another storage device, disable the enable_backups site setting and delete all backups until the site has been upgraded to pull in the fix. Or 2. Change the backup_location site setting to s3 so that backups are stored and downloaded directly from S3.
- Record
CVE-2024-53991- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 5.9 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-200
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
7.5
Potential Backup file leaked via Nginx in Discourse
Discourse is an open source platform for community discussion. This vulnerability only impacts Discourse instances configured to use FileStore::LocalStore which means uploads and backups are stored locally on disk. If an attacker knows the name of the Discourse backup file, the attacker can trick nginx into sending the Discourse backup file with a well crafted request. This issue is patched in the latest stable, beta and tests-passed versions of Discourse. Users are advised to upgrade. Users unable to upgrade can either 1. Download all local backups on to another storage device, disable the enable_backups site setting and delete all backups until the site has been upgraded to pull in the fix. Or 2. Change the backup_location site setting to s3 so that backups are stored and downloaded directly from S3.
- Record
CVE-2024-53991- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-200
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVBIT-discourse-2024-53991 No score
Potential Backup file leaked via Nginx in Discourse
Discourse is an open source platform for community discussion. This vulnerability only impacts Discourse instances configured to use FileStore::LocalStore which means uploads and backups are stored locally on disk. If an attacker knows the name of the Discourse backup file, the attacker can trick nginx into sending the Discourse backup file with a well crafted request. This issue is patched in the latest stable, beta and tests-passed versions of Discourse. Users are advised to upgrade. Users unable to upgrade can either 1. Download all local backups on to another storage device, disable the enable_backups site setting and delete all backups until the site has been upgraded to pull in the fix. Or 2. Change the backup_location site setting to s3 so that backups are stored and downloaded directly from S3.
- Record
BIT-discourse-2024-53991- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
discourseBitnami |
before 3.3.3 | 3.3.3 |
Public exploits
Links only. Every CVE stores no exploit code.
| Source | Link | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclei | Discourse Backup File Disclosure Via Default Nginx Configuration |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases, published | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, Nuclei, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2024-53991 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Discourse, published December 19, 2024. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 29.9%, the 98th percentile. Fixed in discourse 3.3.3.