Message impersonation via permissive key forwarding
Published Sep 28, 2022 · Updated Apr 23, 2025
Improper authentication in Matrix Android SDK 2 before 1.5.1 allows remote attackers cooperating with a malicious homeserver to impersonate senders. The key-forwarding strategy accepts forwarded Megolm session keys without requiring a prior request from the client or receipt from the client’s own verified devices, allowing forged encrypted messages to appear to originate from another person. Exploitation requires control or cooperation from a malicious homeserver; the primary consequence is message-integrity loss and sender impersonation, with no reported confidentiality or availability impact.
Summary
What happened
Improper authentication in Matrix Android SDK 2 before 1.5.1 allows remote attackers cooperating with a malicious homeserver to impersonate senders. The key-forwarding strategy accepts forwarded Megolm session keys without requiring a prior request from the client or receipt from the client’s own verified devices, allowing forged encrypted messages to appear to originate from another person. Exploitation requires control or cooperation from a malicious homeserver; the primary consequence is message-integrity loss and sender impersonation, with no reported confidentiality or availability impact.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-39246
- Published
- Sep 28, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 23, 2025
- Vendor
- Matrix.org
- Product
- Matrix Android SDK 2
- Classifications
- CWE-322, CWE-287, T1656
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 28, 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
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 1.5.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo