CVE-2023-41043: Discourse DoS via SvgSprite cache

Severity: medium (CVSS 6.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.6% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2023-09-15 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-770

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 admin could create extremely large icons sprites, which would then be cached in each server process. This may cause server processes to be killed and lead to downtime. 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. This is only a concern for multisite installations. No action is required when the admins are trusted.

Affected products

discourse: before 3.1.1; 1.1.0-beta1, 1.1.0-beta2, 1.1.0-beta3, 1.1.0-beta4, 1.1.0-beta5, 1.1.0-beta6 (+207) — fixed in 3.1.1

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: discourse 3.1.1. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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