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No exploitation reportedFix available

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?

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
  1. 2023-07-0619:15CVE publishedNVD

Observed activity

isMalicious corpus · updated 2026-10-23 18:48 UTC
Indicators tagged with this CVE, per day0 indicators over 7 days
Block 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
Joinmastodon mastodon
BranchAffectedFixed in
4.1≥ 4.1.0, < 4.1.34.1.3
4.0≥ 4.0.0, < 4.0.54.0.5
3.5< 3.5.93.5.9

as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.

Fix

  1. Update Joinmastodon mastodon to 4.1.3 · 4.0.5 · 3.5.9

Advisories and patches

Detection

Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof-of-concept repositories
none listed
PoC-in-GitHub

Sources

  • CISA-ADPSSVC decisionnone2024-11-15
  • OpenCVESSVC decisionnone—
  • CNACVSS 3.17.5read 2026-10-23
  • NVDCVSS 3.17.5read 2026-10-23
  • CNAweakness (CWE)CWE-770read 2026-10-23
  • FIRST EPSSEPSS score1.3 %2026-10-22

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?

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.

Is CVE-2023-36461 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2023-36461 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 1.3% on 2026-10-22, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-36461?

CVE-2023-36461 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.5 (HIGH severity), with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

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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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