HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-41163
CRITICAL

CVE-2021-41163

CWE-74Published: October 20, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Discourse is an open source platform for community discussion. In affected versions maliciously crafted requests could lead to remote code execution. This resulted from a lack of validation in subscribe_url values. This issue is patched in the latest stable, beta and tests-passed versions of Discourse. To workaround the issue without updating, requests with a path starting /webhooks/aws path could be blocked at an upstream proxy.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-41163 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

discourse1 product(s)
discourse
Source: NVD CPE · 2 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/fa3c46cf079d28b086fe1025349bb00223a5d5e9
PATCHhttps://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/fa3c46cf079d28b086fe1025349bb00223a5d5e9
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/discourse/discourse/security/advisories/GHSA-jcjx-pvpc-qgwq
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/discourse/discourse/security/advisories/GHSA-jcjx-pvpc-qgwq

All References (4)

→
https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/fa3c46cf079d28b086fe1025349bb00223a5d5e9Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/discourse/discourse/security/advisories/GHSA-jcjx-pvpc-qgwqThird Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/fa3c46cf079d28b086fe1025349bb00223a5d5e9Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/discourse/discourse/security/advisories/GHSA-jcjx-pvpc-qgwqThird Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-41163
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-74
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedOct 20, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-74)

CVE-2014-8423
10.0
CVE-2026-56699
10.0
CVE-2023-30547
10.0
CVE-2024-38366
10.0
CVE-2026-54159
10.0
CVE-2025-20265
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2021-41163 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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