CVE-2023-38700 : What You Need to Know

A Node.js IRC bridge for Matrix, matrix-appservice-irc, was found to have a vulnerability that allowed crafted events to leak parts of targeted messages from other bridged rooms.

Understanding CVE-2023-38700

This CVE affects matrix-appservice-irc versions prior to 1.0.1, impacting confidentiality by exposing sensitive information to unauthorized actors.

What is CVE-2023-38700?

matrix-appservice-irc versions prior to 1.0.1 are susceptible to a flaw where a specially crafted event could reveal parts of a targeted message from another bridged room, compromising data confidentiality.

The Impact of CVE-2023-38700

The vulnerability exposes sensitive information to unauthorized actors, potentially leading to data breaches and privacy violations within affected environments.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-38700

The CVSS score for this CVE is 3.5 (Low severity) with a base score of 3.5, indicating that the attack complexity is high, but the impact on availability is none.

Vulnerability Description

Before version 1.0.1, matrix-appservice-irc was vulnerable to crafted events that could leak parts of targeted messages from other bridged rooms, affecting confidentiality.

Affected Systems and Versions

Vendor: matrix-org
Product: matrix-appservice-irc
Versions Affected: < 1.0.1

Exploitation Mechanism

The exploitation requires crafting a specific event to target and leak information from other bridged rooms, exploiting a flaw in the application logic.

Mitigation and Prevention

It is crucial to take immediate steps to secure affected systems and prevent potential data leakage.

Immediate Steps to Take

To mitigate the vulnerability, update matrix-appservice-irc to version 1.0.1 or later. As a temporary workaround, set the

matrixHandler.eventCacheSize

config value to

0

, although this may impact performance.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software to the latest versions, implement access controls, and conduct security assessments to identify and remediate vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Refer to the following for patching and updates:

Advisory: GHSA-c7hh-3v6c-fj4q
Commit: GitHub Commit
Release: Version 1.0.1