CVE-2026-41259: mastodon — Fix

Description

Mastodon is a free, open-source social network server based on ActivityPub. Prior to v4.5.9, v4.4.16, and v4.3.22, Mastodon allows restricting new user sign-up based on e-mail domain names, and performs basic validation on e-mail addresses, but fails to restrict characters that are interpreted differently by some mailing servers. This vulnerability is fixed in v4.5.9, v4.4.16, and v4.3.22.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

7.5

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0005

Probability of exploitation

0.16%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-841 CWE-841

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
joinmastodon	mastodon	< 4.3.22
joinmastodon	mastodon	4.4.0 — 4.4.16
joinmastodon	mastodon	4.5.0 — 4.5.9

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/security/advisories/GHSA-5r37-qpwq-2jhh

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-41259? +

Mastodon is a free, open-source social network server based on ActivityPub. Prior to v4.5.9, v4.4.16, and v4.3.22, Mastodon allows restricting new user sign-up based on e-mail domain names, and performs basic validation on e-mail addresses, but fails to restrict characters that are interpreted differently by some mailing servers. This vulnerability is fixed in v4.5.9, v4.4.16, and v4.3.22. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-41259? +

CVE-2026-41259 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0005, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-41259? +

CVE-2026-41259 affects products from joinmastodon, specifically: mastodon. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-41259? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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