CVE-2023-42452
MEDIUMDescription
Mastodon is a free, open-source social network server based on ActivityPub. In versions on the 4.x branch prior to versions 4.0.10, 4.2.8, and 4.2.0-rc2, under certain conditions, attackers can abuse the translation feature to bypass the server-side HTML sanitization, allowing unescaped HTML to execute in the browser. The impact is limited thanks to Mastodon's strict Content Security Policy, blocking inline scripts, etc. However a CSP bypass or loophole could be exploited to execute malicious XSS. Furthermore, it requires user interaction, as this can only occur upon clicking the “Translate” button on a malicious post. Versions 4.0.10, 4.2.8, and 4.2.0-rc2 contain a patch for this issue.
How to fix
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 31% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-79 (Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2020-11022 | Medium | 6.9 | 99% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-3929 | Critical | 9.8 | 99% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2020-9496 | Medium | 6.1 | 99% | - | - |
| CVE-2023-28341 | Medium | 6.1 | 99% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2018-12998 | Medium | 6.1 | 98% | - | - |
| CVE-2025-4123 | High | 7.6 | 98% | - | Fix |
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Markdown
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Start freeThis product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2024-11-21.