fix(security): widget API only accepts messages from the widget's own frame
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matrix-widget-api's host transport handled a message from ANY window on the
page as long as it carried the widget's id; its strictOriginCheck only
compares with the host's own origin and is off by default. The call's id is
the fixed 'call-embed', so any other frame (a room widget, a URL-preview
embed) could post fromWidget actions as the call. Reproduced locally: an
opaque-origin frame posting one io.lotus.hotkey keydown for the PTT key
turned a push-to-talk user's mic on ("● Live").

restrictWidgetMessages() swaps each ClientWidgetApi transport's listener
for one that requires ev.source === the widget iframe's window and
ev.origin === the widget's origin. Applied to the call and to room widgets
(so one widget can't impersonate another). Verified: the spoof no longer
opens the mic; PTT/deafen from inside the call, screenshare, speaking
indicator and room widgets (capability prompt, send, live events) unchanged.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01PPmy3tPq869XDW4njjVaKA
This commit is contained in:
Lotus CI
2026-09-26 22:22:57 -04:00
co-authored by Claude Opus 5.5
parent 49dec686f1
commit df395776b4
4 changed files with 100 additions and 0 deletions
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import { Capability, ClientWidgetApi, IRoomEvent, Widget } from 'matrix-widget-a
import { useMatrixClient } from '../../../hooks/useMatrixClient';
import { GeneralWidgetDriver } from './GeneralWidgetDriver';
import { WidgetPermissionRequest, isWidgetUrlSafe } from './widgetUtils';
import { restrictWidgetMessages } from '../../../plugins/widgetTransport';
import { WidgetPermissionPrompt } from './WidgetPermissionPrompt';
type PendingAsk = {
@@ -96,6 +97,9 @@ export function RoomWidgetView({ room, widget }: RoomWidgetViewProps) {
}),
);
const clientApi = new ClientWidgetApi(current, iframe, driver);
// Only messages from this widget's own frame and origin are handled, so a
// widget can't impersonate another one (or the call).
restrictWidgetMessages(clientApi, iframe, current.origin);
clientApi.setViewedRoomId(room.roomId);
// Live room events for widgets that were allowed to see them
+3
View File
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import { CallControl } from './CallControl';
import { CallControlState } from './CallControlState';
import { verifyDenoiseAssets } from './denoiseSmokeCheck';
import { canDelegateCapability } from './utils';
import { restrictWidgetMessages } from '../widgetTransport';
// Maximum time to wait for the embedded Element Call iframe to progress from
// initial load to a ready/joined state. If it hasn't by then, we assume the
@@ -305,6 +306,8 @@ export class CallEmbed {
const callWidgetDriver: WidgetDriver = new CallWidgetDriver(mx, room.roomId);
const call: ClientWidgetApi = new ClientWidgetApi(widget, iframe, callWidgetDriver);
// Only messages from the call's own frame and origin reach the widget API.
restrictWidgetMessages(call, iframe, widget.origin);
this.mx = mx;
this.call = call;
+46
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@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
import { test } from 'node:test';
import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
import { ClientWidgetApi } from 'matrix-widget-api';
import { isFromWidgetFrame, restrictWidgetMessages } from './widgetTransport';
const frame = {} as Window;
const other = {} as Window;
const ORIGIN = 'https://call.example.org';
test('isFromWidgetFrame: only the widget frame at its origin', () => {
assert.equal(isFromWidgetFrame({ source: frame, origin: ORIGIN }, frame, ORIGIN), true);
assert.equal(isFromWidgetFrame({ source: other, origin: ORIGIN }, frame, ORIGIN), false);
assert.equal(isFromWidgetFrame({ source: frame, origin: 'null' }, frame, ORIGIN), false);
assert.equal(
isFromWidgetFrame({ source: frame, origin: 'https://evil.example' }, frame, ORIGIN),
false,
);
assert.equal(isFromWidgetFrame({ source: null, origin: ORIGIN }, null, ORIGIN), false);
});
test('restrictWidgetMessages swaps the listener and drops foreign messages', () => {
const seen: unknown[] = [];
const original = (ev: MessageEvent) => {
seen.push(ev.data);
};
const transport = { handleMessage: original };
const api = { transport } as unknown as ClientWidgetApi;
const iframe = { contentWindow: frame } as HTMLIFrameElement;
const listeners = new Set<EventListener>([original as EventListener]);
const inbound = {
addEventListener: (_t: string, l: EventListener) => listeners.add(l),
removeEventListener: (_t: string, l: EventListener) => listeners.delete(l),
} as unknown as Window;
restrictWidgetMessages(api, iframe, ORIGIN, inbound);
assert.equal(listeners.has(original as EventListener), false);
assert.equal(listeners.size, 1);
assert.equal(transport.handleMessage === original, false);
const dispatch = (ev: Partial<MessageEvent>) =>
listeners.forEach((l) => l(ev as unknown as Event));
dispatch({ source: other, origin: ORIGIN, data: 'spoof' });
dispatch({ source: frame, origin: 'null', data: 'wrong-origin' });
dispatch({ source: frame, origin: ORIGIN, data: 'real' });
assert.deepEqual(seen, ['real']);
});
+47
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@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
import { ClientWidgetApi } from 'matrix-widget-api';
type MessageLike = Pick<MessageEvent, 'source' | 'origin'>;
/**
* True when a message came from the widget's own frame, at the origin the
* widget was loaded from.
*/
export const isFromWidgetFrame = (
ev: MessageLike,
frameWindow: Window | null | undefined,
widgetOrigin: string,
): boolean => !!frameWindow && ev.source === frameWindow && ev.origin === widgetOrigin;
type InboundTransport = {
handleMessage: (ev: MessageEvent) => void;
};
/**
* matrix-widget-api's host transport accepts a message from ANY window on the
* page as long as it carries the widget's id (its `strictOriginCheck` only
* compares against the host's own origin, and is off by default). The call
* widget's id is fixed ('call-embed'), so any other frame (a room widget, a
* URL-preview embed) could post fromWidget actions as the call: e.g. a fake
* push-to-talk keydown turned the user's mic on.
*
* Swap the transport's listener for one that only lets through messages from
* this widget's iframe and origin. `stop()` removes `handleMessage`, which is
* the guarded one after this. Call right after `new ClientWidgetApi(...)`,
* which has already started the transport.
*/
export const restrictWidgetMessages = (
api: ClientWidgetApi,
iframe: HTMLIFrameElement,
widgetOrigin: string,
inbound: Pick<Window, 'addEventListener' | 'removeEventListener'> = window,
): void => {
const transport = api.transport as unknown as InboundTransport;
const original = transport.handleMessage;
const guarded = (ev: MessageEvent) => {
if (!isFromWidgetFrame(ev, iframe.contentWindow, widgetOrigin)) return;
original(ev);
};
inbound.removeEventListener('message', original as EventListener);
transport.handleMessage = guarded;
inbound.addEventListener('message', guarded as EventListener);
};