diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 8b0381d1101a269a5921ee3d78920fa66420018b..91e568a3201d71921b93a9d4d6da9c01224bedea 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -32,7 +32,13 @@ before_script:
 after_script:
   - rm -rf _build/*/lib/pleroma
 
+.using-ci-base:
+  tags:
+    - amd64
+
 build:
+  extends:
+  - .using-ci-base
   stage: build
   only:
     changes: &build_changes_policy
@@ -44,6 +50,8 @@ build:
   - mix compile --force
 
 spec-build:
+  extends:
+  - .using-ci-base
   stage: test
   only:
     changes:
@@ -57,6 +65,8 @@ spec-build:
   - mix pleroma.openapi_spec spec.json
 
 benchmark:
+  extends:
+  - .using-ci-base
   stage: benchmark
   when: manual
   variables:
@@ -71,6 +81,8 @@ benchmark:
     - mix pleroma.load_testing
 
 unit-testing:
+  extends:
+  - .using-ci-base
   stage: test
   only:
     changes: *build_changes_policy
@@ -94,6 +106,8 @@ unit-testing:
         path: coverage.xml
 
 unit-testing-erratic:
+  extends:
+  - .using-ci-base
   stage: test
   retry: 2
   allow_failure: true
@@ -129,6 +143,8 @@ unit-testing-erratic:
 #     - mix test --trace --only federated
 
 unit-testing-rum:
+  extends:
+  - .using-ci-base
   stage: test
   only:
     changes: *build_changes_policy
@@ -162,6 +178,8 @@ lint:
     - mix format --check-formatted
 
 analysis:
+  extends:
+  - .using-ci-base
   stage: test
   only:
     changes: *build_changes_policy
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index f6fc6aaee23c312a43f67b5210688b28e1060554..468ec101293b462c8eddaddf375d0de9e8d68fcd 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -14,6 +14,12 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/).
 
 ### Removed
 
+## 2.5.3
+
+### Security
+- Emoji pack loader sanitizes pack names
+- Reduced permissions of config files and directories, distros requiring greater permissions like group-read need to pre-create the directories
+
 ## 2.5.2
 
 ### Security
diff --git a/changelog.d/emoji-pack-sanitization.security b/changelog.d/emoji-pack-sanitization.security
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f3218abd4d78e57813b9259a62a73f73b32499a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/emoji-pack-sanitization.security
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Emoji pack loader sanitizes pack names
diff --git a/changelog.d/otp_perms.security b/changelog.d/otp_perms.security
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a3da1c677b6c58beb60613a90615a6fa04c42955
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/otp_perms.security
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- Reduced permissions of config files and directories, distros requiring greater permissions like group-read need to pre-create the directories
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/mix/tasks/pleroma/instance.ex b/lib/mix/tasks/pleroma/instance.ex
index 5c93f19ff5aa45c4908c33bb34963f53b5dfa79f..5d8b254a223e8d7b3fd8b07691dd8f9cbcc072e2 100644
--- a/lib/mix/tasks/pleroma/instance.ex
+++ b/lib/mix/tasks/pleroma/instance.ex
@@ -266,12 +266,20 @@ def run(["gen" | rest]) do
       config_dir = Path.dirname(config_path)
       psql_dir = Path.dirname(psql_path)
 
+      # Note: Distros requiring group read (0o750) on those directories should
+      # pre-create the directories.
       [config_dir, psql_dir, static_dir, uploads_dir]
       |> Enum.reject(&File.exists?/1)
-      |> Enum.map(&File.mkdir_p!/1)
+      |> Enum.each(fn dir ->
+        File.mkdir_p!(dir)
+        File.chmod!(dir, 0o700)
+      end)
 
       shell_info("Writing config to #{config_path}.")
 
+      # Sadly no fchmod(2) equivalent in Elixir…
+      File.touch!(config_path)
+      File.chmod!(config_path, 0o640)
       File.write(config_path, result_config)
       shell_info("Writing the postgres script to #{psql_path}.")
       File.write(psql_path, result_psql)
@@ -290,8 +298,7 @@ def run(["gen" | rest]) do
     else
       shell_error(
         "The task would have overwritten the following files:\n" <>
-          (Enum.map(will_overwrite, &"- #{&1}\n") |> Enum.join("")) <>
-          "Rerun with `--force` to overwrite them."
+          Enum.map_join(will_overwrite, &"- #{&1}\n") <> "Rerun with `--force` to overwrite them."
       )
     end
   end
diff --git a/lib/pleroma/config/release_runtime_provider.ex b/lib/pleroma/config/release_runtime_provider.ex
index 91e5f1a540e2d034357262c3e68b67c681f95ef0..9ec0f975e8c9b9b6f1e827700f7e13d40bca8e72 100644
--- a/lib/pleroma/config/release_runtime_provider.ex
+++ b/lib/pleroma/config/release_runtime_provider.ex
@@ -20,6 +20,20 @@ def load(config, opts) do
 
     with_runtime_config =
       if File.exists?(config_path) do
+        # <https://git.pleroma.social/pleroma/pleroma/-/issues/3135>
+        %File.Stat{mode: mode} = File.lstat!(config_path)
+
+        if Bitwise.band(mode, 0o007) > 0 do
+          raise "Configuration at #{config_path} has world-permissions, execute the following: chmod o= #{config_path}"
+        end
+
+        if Bitwise.band(mode, 0o020) > 0 do
+          raise "Configuration at #{config_path} has group-wise write permissions, execute the following: chmod g-w #{config_path}"
+        end
+
+        # Note: Elixir doesn't provides a getuid(2)
+        # so cannot forbid group-read only when config is owned by us
+
         runtime_config = Config.Reader.read!(config_path)
 
         with_defaults
diff --git a/lib/pleroma/emoji/pack.ex b/lib/pleroma/emoji/pack.ex
index a361ea2009ae187df70c39889b145e7ed7f36dab..6e58f88981299916b913274173d3d5da11a97be5 100644
--- a/lib/pleroma/emoji/pack.ex
+++ b/lib/pleroma/emoji/pack.ex
@@ -285,6 +285,7 @@ def update_metadata(name, data) do
 
   @spec load_pack(String.t()) :: {:ok, t()} | {:error, :file.posix()}
   def load_pack(name) do
+    name = Path.basename(name)
     pack_file = Path.join([emoji_path(), name, "pack.json"])
 
     with {:ok, _} <- File.stat(pack_file),
diff --git a/mix.exs b/mix.exs
index 79fd9c9efebee61253cb417aed03fc95b52bf7be..d1cdb151dd25545b31f777e8c3b57e42db673357 100644
--- a/mix.exs
+++ b/mix.exs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ defmodule Pleroma.Mixfile do
   def project do
     [
       app: :pleroma,
-      version: version("2.5.2"),
+      version: version("2.5.3"),
       elixir: "~> 1.11",
       elixirc_paths: elixirc_paths(Mix.env()),
       compilers: [:phoenix, :gettext] ++ Mix.compilers(),
diff --git a/test/pleroma/config/release_runtime_provider_test.exs b/test/pleroma/config/release_runtime_provider_test.exs
index 4e0d4c838a661c307be24034d43cd65627c81de3..8ff578e6352684fc99dccf073f808f5a006ae636 100644
--- a/test/pleroma/config/release_runtime_provider_test.exs
+++ b/test/pleroma/config/release_runtime_provider_test.exs
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ test "loads release defaults config and warns about non-existent runtime config"
     end
 
     test "merged runtime config" do
+      assert :ok == File.chmod!("test/fixtures/config/temp.secret.exs", 0o640)
+
       merged =
         ReleaseRuntimeProvider.load([], config_path: "test/fixtures/config/temp.secret.exs")
 
@@ -25,6 +27,8 @@ test "merged runtime config" do
     end
 
     test "merged exported config" do
+      assert :ok == File.chmod!("test/fixtures/config/temp.exported_from_db.secret.exs", 0o640)
+
       ExUnit.CaptureIO.capture_io(fn ->
         merged =
           ReleaseRuntimeProvider.load([],
@@ -37,6 +41,9 @@ test "merged exported config" do
     end
 
     test "runtime config is merged with exported config" do
+      assert :ok == File.chmod!("test/fixtures/config/temp.secret.exs", 0o640)
+      assert :ok == File.chmod!("test/fixtures/config/temp.exported_from_db.secret.exs", 0o640)
+
       merged =
         ReleaseRuntimeProvider.load([],
           config_path: "test/fixtures/config/temp.secret.exs",
diff --git a/test/pleroma/emoji/pack_test.exs b/test/pleroma/emoji/pack_test.exs
index 18b99da75b3f68352f9c8915711cff7a9b4407f8..00001abfcdb32793ad9f637ebe83689b22e76f2c 100644
--- a/test/pleroma/emoji/pack_test.exs
+++ b/test/pleroma/emoji/pack_test.exs
@@ -90,4 +90,8 @@ test "add emoji file", %{pack: pack} do
 
     assert updated_pack.files_count == 1
   end
+
+  test "load_pack/1 ignores path traversal in a forged pack name", %{pack: pack} do
+    assert {:ok, ^pack} = Pack.load_pack("../../../../../dump_pack")
+  end
 end
diff --git a/test/pleroma/web/activity_pub/transmogrifier/emoji_react_handling_test.exs b/test/pleroma/web/activity_pub/transmogrifier/emoji_react_handling_test.exs
index 9d99df27c8e891d9ca8d1bd48fd938cb2c7e64fe..83bf59c6f3425944d3eb070ac1086b44fc59416d 100644
--- a/test/pleroma/web/activity_pub/transmogrifier/emoji_react_handling_test.exs
+++ b/test/pleroma/web/activity_pub/transmogrifier/emoji_react_handling_test.exs
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ test "it works for incoming unqualified emoji reactions" do
     object = Object.get_by_ap_id(data["object"])
 
     assert object.data["reaction_count"] == 1
-    assert match?([[emoji, _]], object.data["reactions"])
+    assert match?([[^emoji, _]], object.data["reactions"])
   end
 
   test "it reject invalid emoji reactions" do
diff --git a/test/pleroma/web/mastodon_api/update_credentials_test.exs b/test/pleroma/web/mastodon_api/update_credentials_test.exs
index 57fa0f0476d70f4e5069ab6526a0546085dc6fc8..40f79d10302a2912c7284d14fb55500dc0f32654 100644
--- a/test/pleroma/web/mastodon_api/update_credentials_test.exs
+++ b/test/pleroma/web/mastodon_api/update_credentials_test.exs
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ test "updates the user's background, upload_limit, returns a HTTP 413", %{
           "pleroma_background_image" => new_background_oversized
         })
 
-      assert user_response = json_response_and_validate_schema(res, 413)
+      assert _user_response = json_response_and_validate_schema(res, 413)
       assert user.background == %{}
 
       clear_config([:instance, :upload_limit], upload_limit)