CVE-2023-36460 Mastodon vulnerable to arbitrary file creation through media attachments
Attackers can create or overwrite arbitrary files via crafted media attachments, leading to remote code execution or denial of service.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2023-36460?
CVE-2023-36460 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in mastodon, published on 6 Jul 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Mastodon is a free, open-source social network server based on ActivityPub. Starting in version 3.5.0 and prior to versions 3.5.9, 4.0.5, and 4.1.3, attackers using carefully crafted media files can cause Mastodon's media processing code to create arbitrary files at any location. This allows attackers to create and overwrite any file Mastodon has access to, allowing Denial of Service and arbitrary Remote Code Execution. Versions 3.5.9, 4.0.5, and 4.1.3 contain a patch for this issue.
Weakness: CWE-22
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-36460?
1 open source package ship an affected version, including mastodon. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
mastodon Bitnami | From 3.5.0 | 3.5.9, 4.0.5, 4.1.3 |
Products include Joinmastodon Mastodon.
How do I fix CVE-2023-36460?
Upgrade mastodon to a fixed version for your release line: 3.5.9, 4.0.5 or 4.1.3.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2023-36460 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-36460 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in mastodon
- CVE-2022-2166 Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts in mastodon/mastodon
- CVE-2022-24307 Missing authorization in n/a
- CVE-2018-21018 Auth bypass in n/a
- CVE-2024-23832 Mastodon Remote user impersonation and takeover
- CVE-2023-36459 Mastodon vulnerable to Cross-site Scripting through oEmbed preview cards
Sources
Also known as BIT-mastodon-2023-36460, GHSA-9928-3cp5-93fm.