Mastodon: Persistent anonymous DoS via unhandled NoMethodError in MATH_TRANSFORMER
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-248.
Summary
Mastodon is a free, open-source social network server based on ActivityPub. Prior to 4.5.11, 4.4.18, and 4.3.24, a DoS can be triggered by (Uncaught Exception vulerability), due to missing exception handling in the math sanitizer. Malformed <math> nodes can result in a DoS of a whole server or targeted users services, depending on the type of action that includes the malformed nodes and the services interacting with it. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.5.11, 4.4.18, and 4.3.24.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mastodon | mastodon | 4.5.0-beta.1 to before 4.5.11; 4.4.0-beta.1 to before 4.4.18; before 4.3.24 | 4.5.11, 4.4.18, 4.3.24 | Patch available | CNA |
- mastodon Vendormastodon Affected 4.5.0-beta.1 to before 4.5.11; 4.4.0-beta.1 to before 4.4.18; before 4.3.24 Fixed in 4.5.11, 4.4.18, 4.3.24 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA mastodon (mastodon) Fixed in 4.5.11, 4.4.18, 4.3.24
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-50129
More mastodon vulnerabilities
- TI-2022-02004 Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts in mastodon/mastodon CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2025-34613 Mastodon e‑mail throttle misconfiguration allows unlimited email confirmations against unconfirmed emails CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2022-22936 Mastodon through 4.0.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (large Sidekiq pull… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2023-18301 Mastodon vulnerable to arbitrary file creation through media attachments CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2023-13359 Mastodon's blind LDAP injection in login allows the attacker to leak arbitrary attributes from LDAP database CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.7
- TI-2024-16846 External OpenID Connect Account Takeover by E-Mail Change in mastodon CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.4
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences