Mastodon has a GET-Based Open Redirect via '/web/%2F<domain>'
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-33868 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | GitHub_M |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-03-27 20:16:34 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-03-30 19:14:17 UTC |
| Description | Mastodon is a free, open-source social network server based on ActivityPub. Prior to versions 4.5.8, 4.4.15, and 4.3.21, an unauthenticated Open Redirect vulnerability (CWE-601) exists in the `/web/*` route due to improper handling of URL-encoded path segments. An attacker can craft a specially encoded URL that causes the application to redirect users to an arbitrary external domain, enabling phishing attacks and potential OAuth credential theft. The issue occurs because URL-encoded slashes (`%2F`) bypass Rails path normalization and are interpreted as host-relative redirects. Versions 4.5.8, 4.4.15, and 4.3.21 patch the issue. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 6.1 MEDIUM from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Problem Types: CWE-601 | CWE-601 CWE-601: URL Redirection to Untrusted Site ('Open Redirect')
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Primary | 6.1 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N |
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 4.3 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 4.3 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
RequiredScope
ChangedConfidentiality
LowIntegrity
LowAvailability
NoneCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version | Update | Edition | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | Joinmastodon | Mastodon | All | All | All | All |
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/mastodon/mastodon/security/advisories/GHSA-xqw8-4j56-5hj6 | [email protected] | github.com | Vendor Advisory |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.