CVE-2019-14822 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

A vulnerability was found in ibus versions prior to 1.5.22, allowing a local attacker to intercept keystrokes and manipulate input settings.

Understanding CVE-2019-14822

What is CVE-2019-14822?

This vulnerability in ibus versions before 1.5.22 is due to a misconfiguration in the DBus server setup, enabling non-privileged users to observe and send method calls to another user's ibus bus.

The Impact of CVE-2019-14822

Exploiting this vulnerability, a local attacker could:

Intercept all keystrokes made by a victim user through the graphical interface
Alter the input method engine
Change other input-related settings of the victim user

Technical Details of CVE-2019-14822

Vulnerability Description

A flaw in ibus versions before 1.5.22 allows any unprivileged user to monitor and send method calls to another user's ibus bus due to a misconfiguration in the DBus server setup.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: ibus
Vendor: n/a
Versions affected: ibus versions before 1.5.22

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability enables a local attacker to intercept keystrokes, manipulate input methods, and alter input-related configurations of the victim user.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Update ibus to version 1.5.22 or later
Restrict access to the DBus server setup

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and audit DBus server configurations
Implement least privilege access controls

Patching and Updates

Apply security patches promptly