Chat impersonation via accepted invisible username whitespace
Published Jan 18, 2022 · Updated Apr 23, 2025
Improper input validation in OnionShare 2.3 through 2.4 allows remote authenticated users to impersonate chat participants via username changes. The Chat mode rename feature accepts trailing spaces and other invisible whitespace, while the web interface renders the altered name as visually indistinguishable from an existing participant. Access to the private-key-protected chat environment is required; successful exploitation only spoofs message attribution in the interface.
Summary
What happened
Improper input validation in OnionShare 2.3 through 2.4 allows remote authenticated users to impersonate chat participants via username changes. The Chat mode rename feature accepts trailing spaces and other invisible whitespace, while the web interface renders the altered name as visually indistinguishable from an existing participant. Access to the private-key-protected chat environment is required; successful exploitation only spoofs message attribution in the interface.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-21696
- Published
- Jan 18, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 23, 2025
- Vendor
- OnionShare
- Product
- OnionShare
- Classifications
- CWE-20, T1036
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 18, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 23, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=< 2.5
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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