How severe is CVE-2023-38690?

CVE-2023-38690 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.8, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity low, and availability none.

Is CVE-2023-38690 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (51st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-38690?

CVE-2023-38690 affects Matrix Matrix Irc Bridge. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-38690?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2023-38690 published?

CVE-2023-38690 was published on 2023-08-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-38690

CVE-2023-38690 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Matrix Matrix Irc Bridge with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-20.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (51st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-20
Affected product: Matrix Matrix Irc Bridge
Published: 2023-08-04
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

matrix-appservice-irc is a Node.js IRC bridge for Matrix. Prior to version 1.0.1, it is possible to craft a command with newlines which would not be properly parsed. This would mean you could pass a string of commands as a channel name, which would then be run by the IRC bridge bot. Versions 1.0.1 and above are patched. There are no robust workarounds to the bug. One may disable dynamic channels in the config to disable the most common execution method but others may exist.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-38690?: matrix-appservice-irc is a Node.js IRC bridge for Matrix. Prior to version 1.0.1, it is possible to craft a command with newlines which would not be properly parsed. This would mean you could pass a string of commands as a channel name, which would then be run by the IRC bridge bot. Versions 1.0.1 and above are patched. There are no robust workarounds to the bug. One may disable dynamic channels in the config to disable the most common execution method but others may exist.
How severe is CVE-2023-38690?: CVE-2023-38690 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.8, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity low, and availability none.
Is CVE-2023-38690 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (51st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-38690?: CVE-2023-38690 affects Matrix Matrix Irc Bridge. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-38690?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2023-38690 published?: CVE-2023-38690 was published on 2023-08-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:matrix:matrix_irc_bridge:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Matrix Matrix Irc Bridge

CVE-2022-39203 — High (CVSS 8.8): matrix-appservice-irc is an open source Node.js IRC bridge for Matrix. Attackers can specify a specific string of…
CVE-2022-29166 — High (CVSS 8.0): matrix-appservice-irc is a Node.js IRC bridge for Matrix. The vulnerability in node-irc allows an attacker to…
CVE-2022-3971 — Medium (CVSS 4.6): A vulnerability was found in matrix-appservice-irc up to 0.35.1. It has been declared as critical. This vulnerability…
CVE-2022-39202 — Medium (CVSS 4.3): matrix-appservice-irc is an open source Node.js IRC bridge for Matrix. The Internet Relay Chat (IRC) protocol allows…
CVE-2023-38700 — Low (CVSS 3.5): matrix-appservice-irc is a Node.js IRC bridge for Matrix. Prior to version 1.0.1, it was possible to craft an event…
CVE-2025-27146 — Low (CVSS 2.7): matrix-appservice-irc is a Node.js IRC bridge for Matrix. The matrix-appservice-irc bridge up to version 3.0.3 contains…

All CVEs affecting Matrix Matrix Irc Bridge →

Other CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-48316 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48281 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48277 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48055 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Streambert is a cross-platform Electron Desktop App to stream and download any video media. In versions 2.4.0 and…
CVE-2026-34910 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A malicious actor with access to the network could exploit an Improper Input Validation vulnerability found in UniFi OS…
CVE-2026-33587 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Lack of user input sanitisation in Open Notebook v1.8.3 allows the application user to execute Python code (and…

Browse all CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities →