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Matrix Media Repo (MMR) allows untrusted file formats can be thumbnailed, invoking potentially further untrusted decoders

Moderate severity GitHub Reviewed Published Jan 16, 2025 in t2bot/matrix-media-repo • Updated Jan 17, 2025

Package

gomod github.com/t2bot/matrix-media-repo (Go)

Affected versions

<= 1.3.7

Patched versions

1.3.8

Description

Impact

If SVG or JPEGXL thumbnailers are enabled (they are disabled by default), a user may upload a file which claims to be either of these types and request a thumbnail to invoke a different decoder in ImageMagick. In some ImageMagick installations, this includes the capability to run Ghostscript to decode the image/file.

If MP4 thumbnailers are enabled (also disabled by default), the same issue as above may occur with the ffmpeg installation instead.

MMR uses a number of other decoders for all other file types when preparing thumbnails. Theoretical issues are possible with these decoders, however in testing they were not possible to exploit.

Patches

This is fixed in MMR v1.3.8. MMR now inspects the mimetype of media prior to thumbnailing, and picks a thumbnailer based on those results instead of relying on user-supplied values. This may lead to fewer thumbnails when obscure file shapes are used. This also helps narrow scope of theoretical issues with all decoders MMR uses for thumbnails.

Workarounds

Disabling the SVG, JPEGXL, and MP4 thumbnail types in the MMR config prevents the decoders from being invoked. Further disabling uncommon file types on the server is recommended to limit risk surface.

Containers and other similar technologies may also be used to limit the impact of vulnerabilities in external decoders, like ImageMagick and ffmpeg.

Some installations of ImageMagick may disable "unsafe" file types, like PDFs, already. This option can be replicated to other environments as needed. ffmpeg may be compiled with limited decoders/codecs. The Docker image for MMR disables PDFs and similar formats by default.

References

A similar issue was discovered in Synapse: GHSA-vp6v-whfm-rv3g

References

@turt2live turt2live published to t2bot/matrix-media-repo Jan 16, 2025
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Jan 16, 2025
Reviewed Jan 16, 2025
Published by the National Vulnerability Database Jan 16, 2025
Last updated Jan 17, 2025

Severity

Moderate

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N

EPSS score

0.043%
(11th percentile)

CVE ID

CVE-2024-56515

GHSA ID

GHSA-rcxc-wjgw-579r
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