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Maven

GHSA-2pvj-p485-cp3m

HIGH

matrix-android-sdk2 vulnerable to impersonation via forwarded Megolm sessions

Also known asCVE-2022-39246
Published
Sep 30, 2022
Updated
Nov 8, 2023
Affected
1 pkg
Patched
1 / 1
Exploits
None indexed

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗
0.6%probability of exploitation in next 30 days
Lower Risk45th percentile+0.30%
0.00%0.38%0.75%1.13%0.3%0.6%Dec 25Apr 26Jun 26

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.

Blast Radius

1 pkg affected
org.matrix.android:matrix-android-sdk2

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Impact

An attacker cooperating with a malicious homeserver can construct messages appearing to have come from another person. Such messages will be marked with a grey shield on some platforms, but this may be missing in others.

This attack is possible due to the matrix-android-sdk2 implementing a too permissive key forwarding strategy on the receiving end.

Key forwarding is a mechanism allowing clients to recover from “unable to decrypt” messages when they missed the initial key distribution, at the time the message was originally sent. Examples include accessing message history before they joined the room but also when some network/federation errors have occurred.

Patches

The default policy for accepting key forwards has been made more strict in the matrix-android-sdk2. The matrix-android-sdk2 will now only accept forwarded keys in response to previously issued requests and only from own, verified devices.

A unique exception to this rule is with the experimental MSC3061, that is forwarding room keys for past messages when invited in a room configured with the proper history visibility setting. Such key forwards are parked upon receipt and are only accepted if the SDK receives an invitation for that room from the inviter in a limited time window.

The SDK now sets a trusted flag on the decrypted message upon decryption, based on whether the key used to decrypt the message was received from a trusted source. Clients need to ensure that messages decrypted with a key with trusted = false are decorated appropriately (for example, by showing a warning for such messages).

Workarounds

Current users of the SDK can disable key forwarding in their forks using CryptoService#enableKeyGossiping(enable: Boolean).

References

Blog post: https://matrix.org/blog/2022/09/28/upgrade-now-to-address-encryption-vulns-in-matrix-sdks-and-clients

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, e-mail us at [email protected].

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed
EcosystemPackageVulnerable rangeFix
Mavenorg.matrix.android:matrix-android-sdk2all versions1.5.1

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency
  1. Detect

    Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.matrix.android:matrix-android-sdk2. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.

  2. Fix

    Update org.matrix.android:matrix-android-sdk2 to 1.5.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-2pvj-p485-cp3m is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

  3. 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.

  4. How O3 protects you

    O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-2pvj-p485-cp3m is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Tailored to GHSA-2pvj-p485-cp3m. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact An attacker cooperating with a malicious homeserver can construct messages appearing to have come from another person. Such messages will be marked with a grey shield on some platforms, but this may be missing in others. This attack is possible due to the matrix-android-sdk2 implementing a too permissive [key forwarding](https://spec.matrix.org/v1.3/client-server-api/#key-requests) strategy on the receiving end. Key forwarding is a mechanism allowing clients to recover from “unable to decrypt” messages when they missed the initial key distribution, at the time the message was orig
O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is GHSA-2pvj-p485-cp3m in your dependencies?

O3 detects GHSA-2pvj-p485-cp3m across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.