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NVD / CVE Program· CNA GitHub_M

CVE-2022-39202: IRC mode parameter confusion in matrix-appservice-irc

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 25/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.87% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 58.9% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: matrix-appservice-irc (npm) 0.35.0.
  • Severity is disputed: the assigning authority (CNA) scores it 4.3, NVD 6.3.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to matrix-appservice-irc (npm) 0.35.0 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

matrix-appservice-irc is an open source Node.js IRC bridge for Matrix. The Internet Relay Chat (IRC) protocol allows you to specify multiple modes in a single mode command. Due to a bug in the underlying matrix-org/node-irc library, affected versions of matrix-appservice-irc perform parsing of such modes incorrectly, potentially resulting in the wrong user being given permissions. Mode commands can only be executed by privileged users, so this can only be abused if an operator is tricked into running the command on behalf of an attacker. The vulnerability has been patched in matrix-appservice-irc 0.35.0. As a workaround users should refrain from entering mode commands suggested by untrusted users. Avoid using multiple modes in a single command.

MediumCVSS 6.3 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Sep 13, 2022
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.8% · 58th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

25

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
25 / 40 · 6.3 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.8%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
6.3
CNA · GitHub_M
4.3
2.0 point gap

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2022-39202

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
matrixmatrix irc bridge

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • matrix matrix irc bridgebefore 0.35.0

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • matrix-org matrix-appservice-irc

    • < 0.35.0affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
npmmatrix-appservice-ircbefore 0.35.00.35.0

Same product

matrix: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2023-38690matrix-appservice-irc IRC command injection via admin commands containing newlines
    39Monitor
  • CVE-2022-39203Parsing issue in matrix-org/node-irc leading to room takeovers
    35Monitor
  • CVE-2022-29166Improper handling of multiline messages in matrix-appservice-irc
    35Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • Later →CVE-2022-3971Nov 13, 2022 · matrix-appservice-irc PgDataStore.ts sql injection
    22Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2023-38700Aug 4, 2023 · matrix-appservice-irc events can be crafted to leak parts of targeted messages from other bridged rooms
    14Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2025-27146Feb 25, 2025 · Matrix IRC Bridge allows IRC command injection to own puppeted user
    17Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
npm:matrix-appservice-irc0.35.0Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • A user must open a link or visit a page.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
low · data can be read
Integrity
low · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
low · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
Low
Integrity impact
Low
Availability impact
Low

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

nvd-primary

Root cause

To simplify setup, a service account is granted broad, cluster-wide permissions. The principle of least privilege is skipped during installation.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-269 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

yaml
kind: ClusterRolerules:  - apiGroups: ["*"]    resources: ["*"]    verbs: ["*"]

Fixed

yaml
kind: Rolemetadata:  namespace: lodos-systemrules:  - apiGroups: ["apps"]    resources: ["deployments"]    verbs: ["get", "list", "update"]

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (2 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records