CVE-2023-42452: Mastodon vulnerable to Stored XSS through the translation feature
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.
Affected Software
Remediation
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2023-42452?
CVE-2023-42452 is a vulnerability in the Mastodon social network server that allows attackers to bypass server-side HTML sanitization.
What is the severity of CVE-2023-42452?
The severity of CVE-2023-42452 is medium with a score of 5.4.
How does CVE-2023-42452 affect Mastodon?
CVE-2023-42452 affects Mastodon versions on the 4.x branch prior to versions 4.0.10, 4.2.8, and 4.2.0-rc2.
How can attackers exploit CVE-2023-42452?
Attackers can abuse the translation feature in affected versions of Mastodon to bypass HTML sanitization and execute unescaped HTML.
How can I fix CVE-2023-42452?
To fix CVE-2023-42452, it is recommended to update Mastodon to versions 4.0.10, 4.2.8, or 4.2.0-rc2 or later.