CVE-2026-26207

Plain English Summary

AI-powered analysis for quick understanding

This vulnerability allows any authenticated user to manipulate policies on posts they shouldn't be able to access, including private posts, and to discover which posts have policies based on error messages. It affects users of the discourse platform who have the `discourse-policy` plugin enabled and can be fixed by upgrading to the latest versions or disabling the plugin altogether.

Technical Description

Discourse is an open source discussion platform. Prior to versions 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1, and 2026.2.0, `discourse-policy` plugin allows any authenticated user to interact with policies on posts they do not have permission to view. The `PolicyController` loads posts by ID without verifying the current user's access, enabling policy group members to accept/unaccept policies on posts in private categories or PMs they cannot see and any authenticated user to enumerate which post IDs have policies attached via differentiated error responses (information disclosure). The issue is patched in versions 2025.12.2, 2026.1.1, and 2026.2.0 by adding a `guardian.can_see?(@post)` check in the `set_post` before_action, ensuring post visibility is verified before any policy action is processed. As a workaround, disabling the discourse-policy plugin (`policy_enabled = false`) eliminates the vulnerability. There is no other workaround without upgrading.

CVSS Vector Analysis

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
Confidentiality ImpactLow
Integrity ImpactLow
Availability ImpactNone
ScopeUnchanged

Vector String

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

Exploit Resources

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Official References