CVE-2023-38690 matrix-appservice-irc IRC command injection via admin commands containing newlines
Attackers can inject IRC commands via crafted channel names, leading to code execution on the bridge bot.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2023-38690?
CVE-2023-38690 is a medium-severity command injection vulnerability in matrix-org matrix-appservice-irc, published on 4 Aug 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
matrix-appservice-irc is a Node.js IRC bridge for Matrix. Prior to version 1.0.1, it is possible to craft a command with newlines which would not be properly parsed. This would mean you could pass a string of commands as a channel name, which would then be run by the IRC bridge bot. Versions 1.0.1 and above are patched. There are no robust workarounds to the bug. One may disable dynamic channels in the config to disable the most common execution method but others may exist.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-38690?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including matrix-appservice-irc. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
matrix-appservice-irc npm | All versions | 1.0.1 |
matrix-appservice-irc npm | All versions | 1.0.1 |
Products include Matrix Matrix Irc Bridge.
How do I fix CVE-2023-38690?
Upgrade matrix-appservice-irc to 1.0.1 or later.
Upgrade, and pass arguments to programs as a list instead of through a shell. More about Command injection.
Is CVE-2023-38690 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-38690 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in matrix-org matrix-appservice-irc
- CVE-2022-39203 Parsing issue in matrix-org/node-irc leading to room takeovers
- CVE-2022-29166 Improper handling of multiline messages in matrix-appservice-irc
- CVE-2022-3971 matrix-appservice-irc PgDataStore.ts sql injection
- CVE-2022-39202 IRC mode parameter confusion in matrix-appservice-irc
- CVE-2023-38700 matrix-appservice-irc events can be crafted to leak parts of targeted messages from other bridged rooms
Sources
Also known as GHSA-3pmj-jqqp-2mj3.