CVE-2022-35250 in Rocket.chat
Summary
by MITRE • 09/23/2022
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Rocket.chat <v5 which made it possible to elevate privileges for any authenticated user to view Direct messages without appropriate permissions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/23/2025
The privilege escalation vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-35250 affects Rocket.chat versions prior to v5, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the application's access control mechanisms. This vulnerability specifically targets the direct messaging functionality within the platform, allowing authenticated users to bypass normal permission checks and access direct messages that they should not be authorized to view. The flaw exists in the application's authorization logic, where proper validation of user permissions for direct message access is not adequately enforced, creating a pathway for unauthorized information disclosure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control checks within the Rocket.chat application's messaging subsystem. When users attempt to access direct messages, the system fails to properly verify whether the requesting user has legitimate authorization to view the target conversation. This weakness allows malicious or unauthorized users to exploit the system by manipulating API calls or direct message access requests, effectively circumventing the intended permission model. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires only authentication credentials to exploit, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by any authenticated user within the system.
The operational impact of this privilege escalation vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it enables unauthorized access to sensitive communications and personal data that should remain private between users. Attackers can potentially access private conversations between administrators and other users, leading to information disclosure that could compromise user privacy and organizational security. This vulnerability undermines the trust model within Rocket.chat's communication platform, as it allows users to access conversations that contain confidential information, potentially including sensitive business data, personal communications, or privileged discussions. The impact extends beyond individual privacy concerns to potentially enable further attacks through the acquisition of sensitive context and relationships within the communication network.
Organizations utilizing Rocket.chat versions prior to v5 should immediately implement mitigations including mandatory system updates to version 5 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address this privilege escalation vulnerability. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous access patterns to direct messaging functionality, while access controls should be reviewed and strengthened to ensure proper enforcement of user permissions. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and implement logging mechanisms that track direct message access requests. Additionally, regular security audits of authentication and authorization mechanisms should be performed to prevent similar issues from emerging in other parts of the application. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege as defined in cybersecurity best practices. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique, specifically targeting the 'Access Token Manipulation' and 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation' tactics that adversaries commonly employ to gain unauthorized access to restricted resources.