CVE-2022-21691
Improper Access Control in Onionshare
OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. In affected versions chat participants can spoof their channel leave message, tricking others into assuming they left the chatroom.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
4.3
Improper Access Control in Onionshare
OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. In affected versions chat participants can spoof their channel leave message, tricking others into assuming they left the chatroom.
- Record
CVE-2022-21691- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-306
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2022-0182
4.3
OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. In affected versions chat participants can spoof their channel leave message, tricking others into assuming they left the chatroom.
- Record
EUVD-2022-0182- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-w9m4-7w72-r766
5.3
Improper Access Control in Onionshare
Between September 26, 2021 and October 8, 2021, Radically Open Security conducted a penetration test of OnionShare 2.4, funded by the Open Technology Fund's Red Team lab. This is an issue from that penetration test.
- Vulnerability ID: OTF-004
- Vulnerability type: Improper Access Control
- Threat level: Moderate
Description:
Chat participants can spoof their channel leave message, tricking others into assuming they left the chatroom.
Technical description:
This series of screenshots show Alice, Bob and Eve joined a chatroom and are the only participants in the chatroom. Eve seemingly leaves the chatroom, which leads Bob and Alice to believe they are having a private chat. The last screenshot shows that Eve only emitted the leave message and is still able to read the chat and possibly write messages.
This can be reproduced by joining the chat with two different instances, where one instance has slightly modified the client-side JavaScript code similar to OTF-003 (page 22). The joined emit needs to be removed from the connect event handler. Therefore the modified client is not listed in the userlist and has no active session. The modified non-listed user also needs to change their username to Eve, which is not shown in the chatroom. The modified client then emits the disconnect event and their connection is no longer usable.
This results in the leave message for Eve and the removal from the user-list but not in removal of the original session of the Eve who announced to join the chat.
Impact:
An adversary with access to the chat environment can spoof his leave event but still persist in the chat with access to all sent messages and the possibility to write in the chat using OTF-003 (page 22).
Recommendation:
- Implement proper session handling
- Record
GHSA-w9m4-7w72-r766- CVSS 4.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-306
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
4.3
OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. In affected versions chat participants can spoof their channel leave message, tricking others into assuming they left the chatroom.
- Record
CVE-2022-21691- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - CVSS 2.0
- 4.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-306
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
4.3
Improper Access Control in Onionshare
OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. In affected versions chat participants can spoof their channel leave message, tricking others into assuming they left the chatroom.
- Record
CVE-2022-21691- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-306
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2022-21691
4.3
OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. In affected versions chat participants can spoof their channel leave message, tricking others into assuming they left the chatroom.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2022-21691- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-03
Show 5 moreShow less
OSVGHSA-w9m4-7w72-r766
5.3
Improper Access Control in Onionshare
Between September 26, 2021 and October 8, 2021, Radically Open Security conducted a penetration test of OnionShare 2.4, funded by the Open Technology Fund's Red Team lab. This is an issue from that penetration test.
- Vulnerability ID: OTF-004
- Vulnerability type: Improper Access Control
- Threat level: Moderate
Description:
Chat participants can spoof their channel leave message, tricking others into assuming they left the chatroom.
Technical description:
This series of screenshots show Alice, Bob and Eve joined a chatroom and are the only participants in the chatroom. Eve seemingly leaves the chatroom, which leads Bob and Alice to believe they are having a private chat. The last screenshot shows that Eve only emitted the leave message and is still able to read the chat and possibly write messages.
This can be reproduced by joining the chat with two different instances, where one instance has slightly modified the client-side JavaScript code similar to OTF-003 (page 22). The joined emit needs to be removed from the connect event handler. Therefore the modified client is not listed in the userlist and has no active session. The modified non-listed user also needs to change their username to Eve, which is not shown in the chatroom. The modified client then emits the disconnect event and their connection is no longer usable.
This results in the leave message for Eve and the removal from the user-list but not in removal of the original session of the Eve who announced to join the chat.
Impact:
An adversary with access to the chat environment can spoof his leave event but still persist in the chat with access to all sent messages and the possibility to write in the chat using OTF-003 (page 22).
Recommendation:
- Implement proper session handling
- Record
GHSA-w9m4-7w72-r766- CVSS 4.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-306
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2022-21691
4.3
OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. In affected versions chat participants can spoof their channel leave message, tricking others into assuming they left the chatroom.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2022-21691- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:11983-1 No score
python-onionshare-2.5-1.1 on GA media
These are all security issues fixed in the python-onionshare-2.5-1.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:11983-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:13635-1 No score
python3-onionshare-2.6-4.1 on GA media
These are all security issues fixed in the python3-onionshare-2.6-4.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:13635-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVPYSEC-2022-42 No score
OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. In affected versions chat participants can spoof their channel leave message, tricking others into assuming they left the chatroom.
- Record
PYSEC-2022-42- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
onionshare-cliPyPI |
2.3 up to 2.5 | 2.5 |
onionshareDebian:12 |
before 2.5-1 | 2.5-1 |
onionshareDebian:13 |
before 2.5-1 | 2.5-1 |
onionshareDebian:14 |
before 2.5-1 | 2.5-1 |
onionshare-cliPyPI |
2.3 up to 2.5, plus listed versions 2.3.12.3.22.3.3 |
2.5 |
onionshare-cliPyPI |
before 2.5, plus listed versions 2.32.3.12.3.22.3.3 |
2.5 |
python-onionshareopenSUSE:Tumbleweed From an advisory covering 8 CVEs |
before 2.5-1.1 | 2.5-1.1 |
python3-onionshareopenSUSE:Tumbleweed From an advisory covering 11 CVEs |
before 2.6-4.1 | 2.6-4.1 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, facts | OSV | |
| affected | ||
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2022-21691 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 4.3) in Onionshare, published January 18, 2022. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.68%, the 52nd percentile. Fixed in onionshare-cli 2.5.
References
github.com/onionshare/onionshare/releases/tag/v2.5
github.com/onionshare/onionshare/security/advisories/GHSA-w9m4-7w72-r766
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-21691
github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/onionshare-cli/PYSEC-2022-42.yaml
github.com/advisories/GHSA-w9m4-7w72-r766
github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2022/21xxx/CVE-2022-21691.json
Show 15 moreShow less
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2022-21691
github.com/onionshare/onionshare
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2022-21691
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-21691
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-21688
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-21690
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-21691
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-21692
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-21693
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-21694
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-21695
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-21696
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-19960
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-41867
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-41868