CVE-2026-42281: MagicMirror vulnerable to unauthenticated SSRF via /cors endpoint

Should you act?

Critical and remotely reachable

No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• Not in CISA KEV, but CISA’s SSVC assessment records a public proof-of-concept, so attack code exists.
• EPSS 1.7%, percentile 77: FIRST’s model estimates a 1.7% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 77% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes magicmirror (npm) <= 2.35.0, fixed in 2.36.0. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

MagicMirror² is an open source modular smart mirror platform. Prior to 2.36.0, 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 (VARNAME), enabling exfiltration of server-side secrets. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.36.0.

From the GitHub advisory

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 (VARNAME), enabling exfiltration of server-side secrets.

Details

The /cors endpoint in js/serverfunctions.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 VARIABLENAME 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).

Weakness type: CWE-918.

Product: magicmirror (npm) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2026-05-14

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Attack requirements: none
• Privileges required: none (no login)
• User interaction: none

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation poc, automatable yes, technical impact partial.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 1.68% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 77.

Timeline

• 2026-05-05 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-ph6f-2cvq-79hq published (critical)
• 2026-05-14 — CVE record last updated
• 2026-05-14 — CVE record published by GitHub_M

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-ph6f-2cvq-79hq github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2026-42281 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2026-42281 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. github.com github.com
2. github.com github.com

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