CVE-2022-39246: Matrix android sdk2 Matrix-android-sdk2 Vulnerable To Impersonation Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2pvj-p485-cp3m
CVSS 7.5
CWE-322 CWE-287
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-39246 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) matrix-android-sdk2 vulnerable to impersonation vulnerability (CWE-322: Key Exchange without Entity Authentication) affecting Matrix android sdk2 libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves matrix-android-sdk2 vulnerable to impersonation via forwarded megolm sessions. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.5.1.

CVE-2022-39246 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-39246
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2pvj-p485-cp3m
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-322: Key Exchange without Entity Authentication
Affected Product Matrix android sdk2
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2022-39246

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Matrix android sdk2 dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.matrix.android:matrix-android-sdk2 fixed: 1.5.1
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.matrix.android</groupId>
    <artifactId>matrix-android-sdk2</artifactId>
    <version>1.5.1</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.matrix.android

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2022-39246, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.matrix.android

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Matrix android sdk2 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.5.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.matrix.android command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-322: Key Exchange without Entity Authentication, where the product performs a key exchange with an actor without verifying the identity of that actor. In Matrix android sdk2, 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 An attacker cooperating with a malicious homeserver can construct messages appearing to have come from another person. Such messages will be marked with a grey shield on some platforms, but this may be missing in others. This attack is possible due to the matrix-android-sdk2 implementing a too permissive [key forwarding](https://spec.matrix.org/v1.3/client-server-api/#key-requests) strategy on the receiving end. Key forwarding is a mechanism allowing clients to recover from “unable to decrypt” messages when they missed the initial key distribution, at the time the message was originally sent. Examples include accessing message history before they joined the room but also when some network/federation errors have occurred. ### Patches The default policy for accepting key forwards has been made more strict in the matrix-android-sdk2. The matrix-android-sdk2 will now only accept forwarded keys in response to previously issued requests and only from own, verified devices. A unique exception to this rule is with the experimental [MSC3061](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3061), that is forwarding room keys for past messages when invited in a room configured with the proper history visibility setting. Such key forwards are parked upon receipt and are only accepted if the SDK receives an invitation for that room from the inviter in a limited time window. The SDK now sets a `trusted` flag on the decrypted message upon decryption, based on whether the key used to decrypt the message was received from a trusted source. Clients need to ensure that messages decrypted with a key with `trusted = false` are decorated appropriately (for example, by showing a warning for such messages). ### Workarounds Current users of the SDK can disable key forwarding in their forks using `CryptoService#enableKeyGossiping(enable: Boolean)`. ### References Blog post: https://matrix.org/blog/2022/09/28/upgrade-now-to-address-encryption-vulns-in-matrix-sdks-and-clients ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, e-mail us at [security@matrix.org](mailto:security@matrix.org).

CVE-2022-39246 Affected Matrix android sdk2 Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.5.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.matrix.android:matrix-android-sdk2
Maven
< 1.5.1
1.5.1

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-39246?
CVE-2022-39246 is a security vulnerability in Matrix android sdk2 involving matrix-android-sdk2 vulnerable to impersonation via forwarded Megolm sessions under CWE-322: Key Exchange without Entity Authentication.
Which Matrix android sdk2 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.5.1 across affected packages: org.matrix.android:matrix-android-sdk2.
What version fixes CVE-2022-39246?
Upgrading to 1.5.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is matrix-android-sdk2 affected?
Yes, org.matrix.android:matrix-android-sdk2 is affected in releases prior to 1.5.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.5.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-39246?
CVE-2022-39246 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-39246?
CVE-2022-39246 is classified under CWE-322: Key Exchange without Entity Authentication (The product performs a key exchange with an actor without verifying the identity of that actor.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2022-39246?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.matrix.android'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-2pvj-p485-cp3m",
  "modified" : "2022-09-30T04:33:00Z",
  "published" : "2022-09-30T04:33:00Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-39246" ],
  "summary" : "matrix-android-sdk2 vulnerable to impersonation via forwarded Megolm sessions",
  "details" : "### Impact\nAn attacker cooperating with a malicious homeserver can construct messages appearing to have come from another person. Such messages will be marked with a grey shield on some platforms, but this may be missing in others.\n\nThis attack is possible due to the matrix-android-sdk2 implementing a too permissive [key forwarding](https://spec.matrix.org/v1.3/client-server-api/#key-requests) strategy on the receiving end.\n\nKey forwarding is a mechanism allowing clients to recover from “unable to decrypt” messages when they missed the initial key distribution, at the time the message was originally sent. Examples include accessing message history before they joined the room but also when some network/federation errors have occurred.\n\n### Patches\n\nThe default policy for accepting key forwards has been made more strict in the matrix-android-sdk2. The matrix-android-sdk2 will now only accept forwarded keys in response to previously issued requests and only from own, verified devices.\n\nA unique exception to this rule is with the experimental [MSC3061](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3061), that is forwarding room keys for past messages when invited in a room configured with the proper history visibility setting. Such key forwards are parked upon receipt and are only accepted if the SDK receives an invitation for that room from the inviter in a limited time window. \n\nThe SDK now sets a `trusted` flag on the decrypted message upon decryption, based on whether the key used to decrypt the message was received from a trusted source. Clients need to ensure that messages decrypted with a key with `trusted = false` are decorated appropriately (for example, by showing a warning for such messages).\n\n### Workarounds\nCurrent users of the SDK can disable key forwarding in their forks using `CryptoService#enableKeyGossiping(enable: Boolean)`.\n\n### References\nBlog post: https://matrix.org/blog/2022/09/28/upgrade-now-to-address-encryption-vulns-in-matrix-sdks-and-clients\n\n### For more information\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory, e-mail us at [security@matrix.org](mailto:security@matrix.org).\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.matrix.android:matrix-android-sdk2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.5.1"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.4.36"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-android-sdk2/security/advisories/GHSA-2pvj-p485-cp3m"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-39246"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3061"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-android-sdk2/commit/77df720a238d17308deab83ecaa37f7a4740a17e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-android-sdk2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-android-sdk2/releases/tag/v1.5.1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-287", "CWE-322" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-09-30T04:33:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-09-28T20:15:00Z"
  }
}