CVE-2022-39252 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.6) Improper Authentication vulnerability in matrix-sdk-crypto. A fix is available for matrix-sdk-crypto — see the affected versions and patch details below.
When matrix-rust-sdk recieves forwarded room keys, the reciever doesn't check if it requested the key from the forwarder
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2022-39252.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2022-39252 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,333 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
matrix-sdk-cryptoReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects crates.io packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
When matrix-rust-sdk before 0.6 requests a room key from our devices, it correctly accepts key forwards only if they are a response to a previous request. However, it doesn't check that the device that responded matches the device the key was requested from.
This allows a malicious homeserver to insert room keys of questionable validity into the key store in some situations, potentially assisting in an impersonation attack. Note that even if key injection succeeds in this way, all forwarded keys have the imported flag set, which is used as an indicator that such keys have lesser authentication properties (and should be marked as such in clients, e.g. with a grey shield besides the message).
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, e-mail us at [email protected].
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | matrix-sdk-crypto | all versions | 0.6.0cargo update -p matrix-sdk-crypto --precise 0.6.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for matrix-sdk-crypto, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update matrix-sdk-crypto to 0.6.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-39252 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2022-39252 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2022-39252. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2022-39252 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2022-39252 across crates.io dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.