CVE-2022-23597

Vulnerability Description

Element Desktop is a Matrix client for desktop platforms with Element Web at its core. Element Desktop before 1.9.7 is vulnerable to a remote program execution bug with user interaction. The exploit is non-trivial and requires clicking on a malicious link, followed by another button click. To the best of our knowledge, the vulnerability has never been exploited in the wild. If you are using Element Desktop < 1.9.7, we recommend upgrading at your earliest convenience. If successfully exploited, the vulnerability allows an attacker to specify a file path of a binary on the victim's computer which then gets executed. Notably, the attacker does *not* have the ability to specify program arguments. However, in certain unspecified configurations, the attacker may be able to specify an URI instead of a file path which then gets handled using standard platform mechanisms. These may allow exploiting further vulnerabilities in those mechanisms, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution.

CVSS Score

Affected Products

Related Weaknesses (CWE)

References

• https://github.com/vector-im/element-desktop/commit/89b1e39b801655e595337708d431PatchThird Party Advisory
• https://github.com/vector-im/element-desktop/security/advisories/GHSA-mjrg-9f8r-Third Party Advisory
• https://github.com/vector-im/element-desktop/commit/89b1e39b801655e595337708d431PatchThird Party Advisory
• https://github.com/vector-im/element-desktop/security/advisories/GHSA-mjrg-9f8r-Third Party Advisory