Discourse is an open source platform for community discussion. Without a rate limit on the POST /uploads endpoint, it makes it easier for an attacker to carry out a DoS attack on the server since creating an upload can be a resource intensive process. Do note that the impact varies from site to site as various site settings like `max_image_size_kb`, `max_attachment_size_kb` and `max_image_megapixels` will determine the amount of resources used when creating an upload. The issue is patched in the latest stable, beta and tests-passed version of Discourse. Users are advised to upgrade. Users unable to upgrade should reduce `max_image_size_kb`, `max_attachment_size_kb` and `max_image_megapixels` as smaller uploads require less resources to process. Alternatively, `client_max_body_size` can be reduced in Nginx to prevent large uploads from reaching the server.
The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.