Server-side request forgery in axllent mailpit
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · Low · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub.
Summary
Mailpit is an email testing tool and API for developers. The fix for GHSA-6jxm-fv7w-rw5j (CVE-2026-23845, "Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) via HTML Check API"), shipped in mailpit `v1.28.3`, hardened `internal/htmlcheck/css.go::downloadCSSToBytes` with a 5MB size cap, a `text/css` content-type check, login-info stripping in `isValidURL`, and an opt-in `--block-remote-css-and-fonts` config flag — but did not add the IP-filtering dialer that the same codebase already uses on the two sister SSRF endpoints (the proxy handler and link-check). Prior to version 1.30.0, `internal/htmlcheck/css.go::newSafeHTTPClient` is mis-named — it builds an `http.Client` whose `Transport.DialContext` calls `net.Dialer.DialContext` directly with no IP allowlisting. As a result, the SSRF originally reported by Bao Anh Phan still permits the server to dial loopback, private, link-local, and any other reserved/multicast range, provided the target replies with `HTTP/200` and a content-type beginning with `text/css`. With redirect-following (`CheckRedirect` allows redirects to any `isValidURL` URL with no IP filter), an attacker-controlled public site can redirect mailpit's request into the private network without ever appearing in the email's HTML. In the default mailpit deploy (no UI auth, no SMTP auth, port 1025/8025 exposed), this is an unauthenticated, network-reachable SSRF triggered by sending an HTML email and then issuing one HTTP `GET` to `/api/v1/message/{id}/html-check`. Version 1.30.0 contains an updated fix.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| axllent | mailpit | 1.28.3 to before 1.30.0 | 1.30.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | github.com/axllent/mailpit (Go) | 1.28.3 to before 1.30.0 | 1.30.0 | Patch available | GHSA-j3fj-qppj-fmmc |
- mailpit Vendoraxllent Affected 1.28.3 to before 1.30.0 Fixed in 1.30.0 Patch available CNA
- github.com/axllent/mailpit (Go) Vendor— Affected 1.28.3 to before 1.30.0 Fixed in 1.30.0 Patch available GHSA-j3fj-qppj-fmmc
Remediation
- Fix · CNA mailpit (axllent) Fixed in 1.30.0
- Fix · GHSA-j3fj-qppj-fmmc github.com/axllent/mailpit (Go) Fixed in 1.30.0 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-45709
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-j3fj-qppj-fmmc
References
More axllent Mailpit vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-22161 Mailpit is Vulnerable to Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) via Link Check API CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.6
- TI-2026-33452 Mailpit: Unauthenticated remote memory-exhaustion DoS via unlimited SMTP DATA and /api/v1/send body sizes CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2026-33450 Mailpit: Path traversal & arbitrary file write in mailpit dump --http via attacker-controlled message IDs CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.2
- TI-2026-17561 Mailpit Proxy Endpoint is Vulnerable to Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.8
- TI-2026-19194 Mailpit has SMTP Header Injection via Regex Bypass CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.3
- TI-2026-33451 Race condition in axllent mailpit CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.9
Sources
- CVE-2026-45709 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-45709 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-j3fj-qppj-fmmc · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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