CVE-2023-42452
mediumpriority · track · 22EPSS 0.004 · 38 %ileEUUSEPSS · scored 2026-10-27
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.
cvss
Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.
base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode
ssvc
A stakeholder decision — act, attend, or track — from exploitation and impact.
weaknesses
The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.
affected products (8)
Products and version ranges known to be affected.
advisories (1)
Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.
- BIT-mastodon-2023-42452Mastodon vulnerable to Stored XSS through the translation feature2024-03-06vendor · osvUS
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, 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 contain a patch for this issue.
also known as (3)
Other names and identifiers for this entity.
sources
Which sources assert this record, and when.
references (7)
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://cxsecurity.com/cveshow/CVE-2023-42452/cnnvd
- https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/commit/ff32475f5f4a84ebf9619e7eef5bf8b4c075d0e2cnnvd
- https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/security/advisories/GHSA-2693-xr3m-jhqrcnnvd
- https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/commit/ff32475f5f4a84ebf9619e7eef5bf8b4c075d0e2enisa_euvd
- https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/security/advisories/GHSA-2693-xr3m-jhqrenisa_euvd
- https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/commit/ff32475f5f4a84ebf9619e7eef5bf8b4c075d0e2Patchnvd
- https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/security/advisories/GHSA-2693-xr3m-jhqrVendor Advisorynvd
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