CVE-2022-39335: Matrix synapse Synapse Does Not Apply Enough Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2022-39335 is a HIGH (CVSS 5.0) synapse does not apply enough vulnerability (CWE-862: Missing Authorization) affecting Matrix synapse libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves synapse does not apply enough checks to servers requesting auth events of events in a room. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.69.0.
CVE-2022-39335 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 5.0
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L).
How to Fix CVE-2022-39335
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Matrix synapse dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
pip install matrix-synapse>=1.69.0
Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
pip show matrix-synapse
How to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2022-39335, inspect your installed packages using pip:
pip show matrix-synapse
Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Matrix synapse in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.69.0), your application is affected.
Note: The pip show matrix-synapse command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.
Technical Details
Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization, where the product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. In Matrix synapse, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.
Source Advisory Statement
CVE-2022-39335 Affected Matrix synapse Versions
1 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
matrix-synapse
|
PyPI |
< 1.69.0
|
1.69.0
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2022-39335?
Which Matrix synapse versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2022-39335?
Is matrix-synapse affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-39335?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-39335?
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2022-39335?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-45cj-f97f-ggwv",
"modified" : "2024-09-24T20:30:11Z",
"published" : "2023-05-24T17:20:43Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-39335" ],
"summary" : "Synapse does not apply enough checks to servers requesting auth events of events in a room",
"details" : "### Impact\nSynapse is an open-source Matrix homeserver written and maintained by the Matrix.org Foundation. The Matrix Federation API allows remote homeservers to request the *authorisation events* of events in a room. This is necessary so that a homeserver receiving some events can validate that those events are legitimate and permitted in their room.\nHowever, in versions of Synapse up to and including 1.68.0, a Synapse homeserver answering a query for authorisation events does not sufficiently check that the requesting server should be able to access them.\n\nAuthorisation events include power level events (the list of user IDs and their power levels at the time) and relevant membership events (including the display name of the sender of that event), as well as events like `m.room.create`, `m.room.third_party_invite` and `m.room.join_rules`. Non-authorisation events are unaffected, so it isn't possible to e.g. extract message contents this way.\n\nThis issue is only exploitable when a malicious actor knows the ID of a target room and the ID of an event from that room. In most cases, this makes exploitation infeasible. This issue is of negligible consequence for public rooms given that any server can easily join the room in order to be allowed to view authorisation events. Further, deployments in a closed federation where all homeservers are trustworthy are not affected.\n\n\n### Patches\n\nThe issue was patched in Synapse 1.69.0. Homeserver administrators are advised to upgrade.\n\n\n### Workarounds\n\nSynapse can be configured with a list of servers that it is allowed to federate with [`federation_domain_whitelist`]. If this list is in use and all the servers on the list are trusted not to exploit this issue, then this issue is of no consequence.\n\nThis workaround is not practical for homeservers participating in open federation as interaction with any server not on the list would have to happen indirectly through servers that are, leading to inconsistent delays in message delivery.\n\n[`federation_domain_whitelist`]: https://matrix-org.github.io/synapse/v1.68/usage/configuration/config_documentation.html#federation_domain_whitelist\n\n### References\n\nFixed in https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/pull/13823.\n\n\n### For more information\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory, e-mail us at security@matrix.org.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
}, {
"type" : "CVSS_V4",
"score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "matrix-synapse"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.69.0"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/security/advisories/GHSA-45cj-f97f-ggwv"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-39335"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/issues/13288"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/pull/13823"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/matrix-synapse/PYSEC-2023-65.yaml"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/T2MBNMZAFY4RCZL2VGBGAPKGB4JUPZVS"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200", "CWE-862" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2023-05-24T17:20:43Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2023-05-26T14:15:09Z"
}
}