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Speech Viewer text cached on lock screen

Low
seanbudd published GHSA-grvr-j2h8-3qm4 Jan 3, 2023

Software

NVDA

Affected versions

<2022.3.1

Patched versions

2022.3.1

Description

Summary

Speech viewer remains open when Windows is locked.
Speech viewer may contain a cache of secure information from the previous user session.
That cache remains accessible when Windows is locked.
This may lead to the loss of confidential information.

This issue requires speech viewer to be open when Windows is locked, and left open.
When locking your computer it is visually obvious that speech viewer is still open, but it may not be clear to blind users.
This issue also requires the Windows lock screen to be enabled.

Patch commit(s)

d5510dc

Limitations

A user must leave Windows locked with speech viewer still open.

Technical details

None

Proof of concept

  1. Enable speech viewer
  2. Read any private information, e.g. e-mail, bank account, etc.
  3. Lock Windows (Windows+L)
  4. alt+tab to speech viewer

Indicators of compromise

Speech viewer left open when Windows is locked and left unattended

Workarounds

Close speech viewer when locking Windows.

Timeline

  • Disclosed Early October 2022
  • Released in 2022.3.1 on October 17 2022

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Severity

Low

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

CVE ID

No known CVE

Weaknesses

No CWEs

Credits