CVE-2022-23597 Remote program execution with user interaction

What is CVE-2022-23597?

CVE-2022-23597 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 1 Feb 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

Element Desktop is a Matrix client for desktop platforms with Element Web at its core. Element Desktop before 1.9.7 is vulnerable to a remote program execution bug with user interaction. The exploit is non-trivial and requires clicking on a malicious link, followed by another button click. To the best of our knowledge, the vulnerability has never been exploited in the wild. If you are using Element Desktop < 1.9.7, we recommend upgrading at your earliest convenience. If successfully exploited, the vulnerability allows an attacker to specify a file path of a binary on the victim's computer which then gets executed. Notably, the attacker does *not* have the ability to specify program arguments. However, in certain unspecified configurations, the attacker may be able to specify an URI instead of a file path which then gets handled using standard platform mechanisms. These may allow exploiting further vulnerabilities in those mechanisms, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution.

Weakness: CWE-416

Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-23597?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Element Desktop.

How do I fix CVE-2022-23597?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.

Is CVE-2022-23597 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-23597 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as GHSA-mjrg-9f8r-h3m7, openSUSE-SU-2024:11789-1, openSUSE-SU-2024:11790-1.