CVE-2023-36461
No exploitation reported by the sources we read.
- Published2023-07-06
- Fixed in4.1.3 · 4.0.5 · 3.5.9
- WeaknessCWE-770
Am I affected?
Debian, Ubuntu or Red Hat sometimes backport a fix without changing the upstream version number: such a version reads « to verify », never « affected ».With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.
Description
Mastodon is a free, open-source social network server based on ActivityPub. When performing outgoing HTTP queries, Mastodon sets a timeout on individual read operations. Prior to versions 3.5.9, 4.0.5, and 4.1.3, a malicious server can indefinitely extend the duration of the response through slowloris-type attacks. This vulnerability can be used to keep all Mastodon workers busy for an extended duration of time, leading to the server becoming unresponsive. Versions 3.5.9, 4.0.5, and 4.1.3 contain a patch for this issue.
Timeline
dates in UTC- 2023-07-0619:15CVE publishedNVD
Observed activity
isMalicious corpus · updated 2026-10-23 18:48 UTCBlock these indicators
- Firewall list (EDL, text): https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2023-36461?format=txt
- CSV export: https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2023-36461?format=csv
- TAXII collection of exploited CVEs
- The EDL and CSV take an API key on the Pro plan.
Versions per branch
NVD| Branch | Affected | Fixed in | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | ≥ 4.1.0, < 4.1.3 | 4.1.3 | NVD |
| 4.0 | ≥ 4.0.0, < 4.0.5 | 4.0.5 | NVD |
| 3.5 | < 3.5.9 | 3.5.9 | NVD |
as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.
Fix
- Update Joinmastodon mastodon to 4.1.3 · 4.0.5 · 3.5.9
Advisories and patches
- github.comPatch
Detection
- Nuclei template
- none so far ProjectDiscovery
- Exploit-DB
- no entry Exploit-DB
- Proof-of-concept repositories
- none listed PoC-in-GitHub
Sources
Technical details
- CVSS v3 Vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- Published
- 2023-07-06
- Last Modified
- 2026-06-17
- NVD status
- Modified
Frequently asked questions
What is CVE-2023-36461?
Is CVE-2023-36461 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-36461?
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Surveillance reads the versions in your stack — a domain, a lockfile or a list — checks each CVE against the ranges its sources publish, and alerts you when one you run is exploited or enters CISA KEV. A version it cannot read stays « version not verified ».
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Same product first, then the same vendor advisory and the same publication week.