Potential account take over due to unverified emails from Microsoft Identity Platform
`discourse-microsoft-auth` is a plugin that enables authentication via Microsoft. On sites with the `discourse-microsoft-auth` plugin enabled, an attack can potentially take control of a victim's Discourse account. Sites that have configured their application's account type to any options other than `Accounts in this organizational directory only (O365 only - Single tenant)` are vulnerable. This vulnerability has been patched in commit c40665f44509724b64938c85def9fb2e79f62ec8 of `discourse-microsoft-auth`. A `microsoft_auth:revoke` rake task has also been added which will deactivate and log out all users that have connected their accounts to Microsoft. User API keys as well as API keys created by those users will also be revoked. The rake task will also remove the connection records to Microsoft for those users. This will allow affected users to re-verify their account emails as well as reconnect their Discourse account to Microsoft for authentication. As a workaround, disable the `discourse-microsoft-auth` plugin by setting the `microsoft_auth_enabled` site setting to `false`. Run the `microsoft_auth:log_out_users` rake task to log out all users with associated Microsoft accounts.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities in the database; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for help- Published
- Feb 21, 2024
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.8% · 55th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-863
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Report tools
Action score
32
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 32 / 40 · 8.1 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.8%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 8.1
- CNA · GitHub_M
- 9.1
- 1.0 point gap
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| discourse | microsoft authentication | cpe:2.3:a:discourse:microsoft_authentication |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- discourse microsoft authenticationbefore 2024-02-20
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
discourse discourse-microsoft-auth
- < c40665f44509724b64938c85def9fb2e79f62ec8affected
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- High
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-863 · Incorrect AuthorizationCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
- github.com/discourse/discourse-microsoft-auth/commit/c40665f44509724b64938c85def9fb2e79f62ec8
- github.com/discourse/discourse-microsoft-auth/security/advisories/GHSA-2w32-w539-3m7r
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security/zero-trust/develop/identity-supported-account-types
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.