matrix-js-sdk keys sent via `sendSharedHistoryKeys` vulnerable to interception by malicious homeserver
- Published
- Last modified
- Where the record stands: published, rejected by its publisher, or superseded by another id.What do these mean? →
- published
- Whether CISA lists it in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog: proof that attackers are using it.What do these mean? →
- Not listed in CISA KEV
- Fix
- Fixed in 34.8.0
- Whether working attack code is public (Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or GitHub). Public code makes attacks easier.What do these mean? →
- None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
- Exploitation: none
- Automatable: no
- Technical impact: partial
Summary
matrix-js-sdk is the Matrix Client-Server SDK for JavaScript and TypeScript. In matrix-js-sdk versions versions 9.11.0 through 34.7.0, the method `MatrixClient.sendSharedHistoryKeys` is vulnerable to interception by malicious homeservers. The method was introduced by MSC3061) and is commonly used to share historical message keys with newly invited users, granting them access to past messages in the room. However, it unconditionally sends these "shared" keys to all of the invited user's devices, regardless of whether the user's cryptographic identity is verified or whether the user's devices are signed by that identity. This allows the attacker to potentially inject its own devices to receive sensitive historical keys without proper security checks. Note that this only affects clients running the SDK with the legacy crypto stack. Clients using the new Rust cryptography stack (i.e. those that call `MatrixClient.initRustCrypto()` instead of `MatrixClient.initCrypto()`) are unaffected by this vulnerability, because `MatrixClient.sendSharedHistoryKeys()` raises an exception in such environments. The vulnerability was fixed in matrix-js-sdk 34.8.0 by removing the vulnerable functionality. As a workaround, remove use of affected functionality from clients.
Timeline
- CVE published
- CISA SSVC assessment
Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: partial
- Record last updated
Affected versions
- matrix-org matrix-js-sdk
From 9.11.0 · fixed in 34.8.0
- matrix-js-sdknpm
From 9.11.0 · fixed in 34.8.0