CVE-2026-26973
MEDIUMDescription
Discourse is an open source discussion platform. Versions prior to 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1, and 2026.2.0 have an IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) in `ReviewableNotesController`. When `enable_category_group_moderation` is enabled, a user belonging to a category moderation group can create or delete their own notes on **any** reviewable in the system, including reviewables in categories they do not moderate. The controller used an unscoped `Reviewable.find` and the `ensure_can_see` guard only checked whether the user could access the review queue in general, not whether they could access the specific reviewable. Only instances with `enable_category_group_moderation` enabled are affected. Staff users (admins/moderators) are not impacted as they already have access to all reviewables. The issue is patched in versions 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1, and 2026.2.0 by scoping the reviewable lookup through `Reviewable.viewable_by(current_user)`. As a workaround, disable the `enable_category_group_moderation` site setting. This removes the attack surface as only staff users will have access to the review queue.
How to fix
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 5% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-22518 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2023-38035 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | - |
| CVE-2022-46169 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2025-29927 | Critical | 9.1 | 100% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2024-38856 | Critical | 9.8 | 99% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2020-36289 | Medium | 5.3 | 99% | - | Fix |
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Markdown
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Start freeThis product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-03-02.