CVE-2022-39203: Matrix appservice irc Parsing Issue Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xvqg-mv25-rwvw
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-39203 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) parsing issue vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting Matrix appservice irc libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves parsing issue in matrix-org/node-irc leading to room takeovers. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.35.0.

CVE-2022-39203 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-39203
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xvqg-mv25-rwvw
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product Matrix appservice irc
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2022-39203

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Matrix appservice irc dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

matrix-appservice-irc fixed: 0.35.0 
npm install matrix-appservice-irc@0.35.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls matrix-appservice-irc

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2022-39203, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls matrix-appservice-irc

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Matrix appservice irc in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.35.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls matrix-appservice-irc command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. In Matrix appservice irc, 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

### Impact Attackers can specify a specific string of characters, which would confuse the bridge into combining an attacker-owned channel and an existing channel, allowing them to grant themselves permissions in the channel. ### Patched The vulnerability has been patched in matrix-appservice-irc 0.35.0. ### Workarounds Disable dynamic channel joining via `dynamicChannels.enabled` to prevent users from joining new channels, which prevents any new channels being bridged outside of what is already bridged, and what is specified in the config. ### References - https://matrix.org/blog/2022/09/13/security-release-of-matrix-appservice-irc-0-35-0-high-severity ### Credits Discovered and reported by [Val Lorentz](https://valentin-lorentz.fr/). ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory email us at [security@matrix.org](mailto:security@matrix.org).

CVE-2022-39203 Affected Matrix appservice irc Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.35.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
matrix-appservice-irc
npm/matrix-appservice-irc
npm
< 0.35.0
0.35.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-irc/security/advisories/GHSA-xvqg-mv25-rwvw
NVD — CVE-2022-39203 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-39203
Matrix appservice irc Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-irc
Matrix appservice irc Release RELEASE
https://matrix.org/blog/2022/09/13/security-release-of-matrix-appservice-irc-0-35-0-high-severity

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-39203?
CVE-2022-39203 is a security vulnerability in Matrix appservice irc involving Parsing issue in matrix-org/node-irc leading to room takeovers under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which Matrix appservice irc versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.35.0 across affected packages: matrix-appservice-irc.
What version fixes CVE-2022-39203?
Upgrading to 0.35.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is matrix-appservice-irc affected?
Yes, matrix-appservice-irc is affected in releases prior to 0.35.0. Upgrade your dependency to 0.35.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-39203?
CVE-2022-39203 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-39203?
CVE-2022-39203 is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2022-39203?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls matrix-appservice-irc'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-xvqg-mv25-rwvw",
  "modified" : "2022-10-07T16:25:29Z",
  "published" : "2022-09-15T03:26:10Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-39203" ],
  "summary" : "Parsing issue in matrix-org/node-irc leading to room takeovers",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nAttackers can specify a specific string of characters, which would confuse the bridge into combining an attacker-owned channel and an existing channel, allowing them to grant themselves permissions in the channel.\n\n### Patched\n\nThe vulnerability has been patched in matrix-appservice-irc 0.35.0.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nDisable dynamic channel joining via `dynamicChannels.enabled` to prevent users from joining new channels, which prevents any new channels being bridged outside of what is already bridged, and what is specified in the config.\n\n### References\n\n- https://matrix.org/blog/2022/09/13/security-release-of-matrix-appservice-irc-0-35-0-high-severity\n\n### Credits\n\nDiscovered and reported by [Val Lorentz](https://valentin-lorentz.fr/).\n\n### For more information\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory email us at [security@matrix.org](mailto:security@matrix.org).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "matrix-appservice-irc"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.35.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-irc/security/advisories/GHSA-xvqg-mv25-rwvw"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-39203"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-irc"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://matrix.org/blog/2022/09/13/security-release-of-matrix-appservice-irc-0-35-0-high-severity"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-09-15T03:26:10Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-09-13T19:15:00Z"
  }
}