CVE-2022-43673 in Wire
Summary
by MITRE • 11/18/2022
Wire through 3.22.3993 on Windows advertises deletion of sent messages; nonetheless, all messages can be retrieved (for a limited period of time) from the AppData\Roaming\Wire\IndexedDB\https_app.wire.com_0.indexeddb.leveldb database.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2022
This vulnerability exists in the Wire messaging application version 3.22.3993 and earlier on Windows platforms where the software falsely advertises that deleted messages are permanently removed from the system. The deceptive functionality creates a false sense of security for users who believe their sent messages are completely erased upon deletion. However, the underlying database architecture retains message data in the IndexedDB storage system, specifically within the LevelDB database structure located at AppData\Roaming\Wire\IndexedDB\https_app.wire.com_0.indexeddb.leveldb. This discrepancy between advertised behavior and actual implementation represents a significant security flaw that violates user expectations regarding data privacy and deletion guarantees.
The technical flaw stems from improper database management practices within the Wire application's local storage implementation. When users delete messages, the application should ensure complete removal from all storage locations including local databases, caches, and temporary files. Instead, the system maintains message data in the IndexedDB LevelDB structure, which operates as a key-value storage system that persists data even after deletion commands are issued. This behavior creates a data retention vulnerability where sensitive information remains accessible through direct database inspection. The vulnerability specifically affects Windows implementations and demonstrates poor data sanitization practices that violate fundamental security principles of data destruction and privacy protection.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privacy concerns to encompass potential data exposure risks for users of the Wire messaging platform. Attackers with access to a victim's system can recover previously deleted messages by directly accessing the IndexedDB database structure, potentially retrieving sensitive communications, personal information, or business data that users believed had been permanently removed. This vulnerability is particularly concerning for users who rely on Wire for confidential communications, as it undermines the trust model that messaging applications must maintain. The limited time window for message recovery does not mitigate the risk significantly, as attackers can access the database within this window before the data is overwritten or automatically cleaned by the system.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability as a variant of CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and potentially CWE-532 (Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File) given the persistent storage of deleted data. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1567.002 (Exfiltration Over Web Service) in scenarios where attackers systematically recover deleted data from local storage. Organizations using Wire should implement immediate mitigations including user education about the vulnerability, enforcement of strict data retention policies, and monitoring for unauthorized access to local application databases. System administrators should consider implementing endpoint detection and response solutions that can monitor for access patterns to IndexedDB directories and alert on suspicious database access attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of deletion functionality and proper database cleanup procedures to prevent similar issues in other messaging applications.