CVE-2022-2166CWE-307

Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts in mastodon/mastodon

Critical · published November 16, 2022

CVSS v3.0
9.8
EPSS
1%
Percentile
66.2
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

🔥 An attacker could attempt to guess passwords endlessly without ever getting locked out! This improper restriction of excessive authentication attempts in Mastodon prior to version 4.0.0 is a serious oversight. Think of it like a bouncer at a club who lets in everyone trying to enter, no matter how many times they get denied — eventually, that could lead to unwanted guests taking over the dance floor! An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to launch a brute-force attack, trying countless password combinations until they find the right one. This could lead to unauthorized access to user accounts, potentially exposing sensitive data and causing absolute chaos in your Mastodon instance!

Put simply

Think of it like a bouncer at a club who lets in everyone trying to enter, no matter how many times they get denied — eventually, that could lead to unwanted guests taking over the dance floor! This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass security controls on authentication attempts, meaning they can keep guessing passwords without being blocked by the system.

What to do

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to launch a brute-force attack, trying countless password combinations until they find the right one. This could lead to unauthorized access to user accounts, potentially exposing sensitive data and causing absolute chaos in your Mastodon instance! To protect your instance, upgrade to Mastodon version 4.0.0 immediately. Additionally, consider implementing account lockout mechanisms and enabling two-factor authentication for enhanced security. You’ve got this! With these steps, you’ll safeguard your Mastodon instance like a pro! 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.0
9.8 · CRITICAL
Vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.01133 · 66.2th percentile
Weakness
CWE-307 · Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts
Published
2022-11-16T00:00Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 16 NOV 00:00Z
    Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts in mastodon/mastodon
    cvelistv5