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Case File

CVE-2023-38686

CRITICAL · CVSS 9.3 EPSS 0.27% Public Exploit

Source: NVD + CISA KEV + EPSS (historical backfill) · Published 2023-08-04 · Last synced 2026-08-04

CyberRota Analysis

AI analysis pending.

Public Exploit Signal

A public exploit, PoC, GitHub repository or Metasploit reference was detected for this CVE.

Note: these links are listed for security research and verification purposes only.

CVE
CVE-2023-38686
Severity
CRITICAL
CVSS
9.3
EPSS
0.27%

Original NVD Description

Sydent is an identity server for the Matrix communications protocol. Prior to version 2.5.6, if configured to send emails using TLS, Sydent does not verify SMTP servers' certificates. This makes Sydent's emails vulnerable to interception via a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack. Attackers with privileged access to the network can intercept room invitations and address confirmation emails. This is patched in Sydent 2.5.6. When patching, make sure that Sydent trusts the certificate of the server it is connecting to. This should happen automatically when using properly issued certificates. Those who use self-signed certificates should make sure to copy their Certification Authority certificate, or their self signed certificate if using only one, to the trust store of your operating system. As a workaround, one can ensure Sydent's emails fail to send by setting the configured SMTP server to a loopback or non-routable address under one's control which does not have a listening SMTP server.