How severe is CVE-2023-38706?

CVE-2023-38706 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-38706 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (46th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-38706?

CVE-2023-38706 primarily affects Discourse. In total, 9 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-38706?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2023-38706 published?

CVE-2023-38706 was published on 2023-09-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-38706

CVE-2023-38706 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Discourse with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-770.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (46th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-770
Affected product: Discourse
Published: 2023-09-15
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to version 3.1.1 of the `stable` branch and version 3.2.0.beta1 of the `beta` and `tests-passed` branches, a malicious user can create an unlimited number of drafts with very long draft keys which may end up exhausting the resources on the server. The issue is patched in version 3.1.1 of the `stable` branch and version 3.2.0.beta1 of the `beta` and `tests-passed` branches. There are no known workarounds.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-38706?: Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to version 3.1.1 of the `stable` branch and version 3.2.0.beta1 of the `beta` and `tests-passed` branches, a malicious user can create an unlimited number of drafts with very long draft keys which may end up exhausting the resources on the server. The issue is patched in version 3.1.1 of the `stable` branch and version 3.2.0.beta1 of the `beta` and `tests-passed` branches. There are no known workarounds.
How severe is CVE-2023-38706?: CVE-2023-38706 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-38706 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (46th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-38706?: CVE-2023-38706 primarily affects Discourse. In total, 9 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-38706?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2023-38706 published?: CVE-2023-38706 was published on 2023-09-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://github.com/discourse/discourse/security/advisories/GHSA-7wpp-4pqg-gvp8

Affected products (9)

cpe:2.3:a:discourse:discourse:*:*:*:*:beta:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:discourse:discourse:*:*:*:*:stable:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:discourse:discourse:3.1.0:beta1:*:*:beta:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:discourse:discourse:3.1.0:beta2:*:*:beta:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:discourse:discourse:3.1.0:beta3:*:*:beta:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:discourse:discourse:3.1.0:beta5:*:*:beta:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:discourse:discourse:3.1.0:beta6:*:*:beta:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:discourse:discourse:3.1.0:beta7:*:*:beta:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:discourse:discourse:3.1.0:beta8:*:*:beta:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Discourse

CVE-2021-41163 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Discourse is an open source platform for community discussion. In affected versions maliciously crafted requests could…
CVE-2025-53102 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Discourse is an open-source community discussion platform. Prior to version 3.4.7 on the `stable` branch and version…
CVE-2025-48877 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Discourse is an open-source discussion platform. Prior to version 3.4.4 of the `stable` branch, version 3.5.0.beta5 of…
CVE-2022-36066 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): Discourse is an open source discussion platform. In versions prior to 2.8.9 on the `stable` branch and prior to…
CVE-2022-39356 — High (CVSS 8.9): Discourse is a platform for community discussion. Users who receive an invitation link that is not scoped to a single…
CVE-2023-22468 — High (CVSS 8.8): Discourse is an open source platform for community discussion. Versions prior to 2.8.13 (stable), 3.0.0.beta16 (beta)…

All CVEs affecting Discourse →

Other CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-31283 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In Totara LMS v19.1.5 and before, the forgot password API does not implement rate limiting for the target email…
CVE-2020-37067 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Filetto 1.0 FTP server contains a denial of service vulnerability in the FEAT command processing that allows attackers…
CVE-2021-47875 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): GeoGebra CAS Calculator 6.0.631.0 contains a denial of service vulnerability that allows attackers to crash the…
CVE-2025-11832 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in Azure Access Technology BLU-IC2, Azure Access…
CVE-2024-44241 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The issue was addressed with improved bounds checks. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, macOS Sequoia…
CVE-2022-3439 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in GitHub repository ikus060/rdiffweb prior to 2.5.0.

Browse all CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) vulnerabilities →