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Element X iOS EUVDEUVD-2026-104524

| CVE-2026-55644 MEDIUM
Improper Input Validation (CWE-20)
2026-10-19 security-advisories@github.com
5.1
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: github
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Deliver crafted io.element.call:// link to victim
  2. Exploit
    Victim taps link opening Element X iOS
  3. Execution
    Allowlist check bypassed, attacker origin loaded in call WKWebView
  4. Impact
    WebView inherits camera/mic permissions for eavesdropping

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Input validation, allowlisting
Exploitation Conditions

Two concrete conditions must both hold: (1) the attacker must trick the user into opening a maliciously crafted io.element.call:// URL (a custom scheme deep link), and (2) the victim must have PREVIOUSLY granted Element X iOS device microphone and camera permissions - without that prior grant the attacker-controlled origin loaded in the WKWebView receives no media access. Affected versions are Element X iOS before 26.05.0. Limiting factors: active user interaction is mandatory (the link must be opened), the media-capture impact depends entirely on a pre-existing permission grant, and the issue is specific to the iOS client, materially reducing realistic risk below what the network attack vector alone suggests.

Impact

This is a genuine but moderate-severity privacy flaw, not a top-tier priority. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L) scores 5.1 (Medium): network-reachable via a custom URL scheme, low complexity, no authentication, but it is gated by active user interaction (UI:A) and yields only low confidentiality impact (VC:N for integrity/availability). Crucially, real-world impact is further constrained by a precondition not captured in the raw score - the victim must have PREVIOUSLY granted Element X iOS camera/microphone permissions, otherwise the loaded attacker origin gets nothing. There is no CISA KEV listing, no EPSS score supplied, and no public proof-of-concept referenced, so exploitation status is: no public exploit identified at time of analysis. The combination of required social engineering (tricking a user into opening a crafted deep link) plus a pre-existing permission grant makes mass, automatable exploitation unlikely; this is better characterized as a targeted eavesdropping/origin-spoofing risk against specific users rather than a wormable or widespread threat. The source-code diff confirms the fix is real (the generic call-link parser and route were removed entirely), so the vulnerability itself is well-substantiated even though exploitation signals are absent.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker crafts a malicious io.element.call:// deep link pointing at an attacker-controlled origin and delivers it to a victim via a chat message, email, or web page. When a victim who has previously granted Element X iOS camera and microphone access taps the link, the app skips the URL allowlist check and loads the attacker's origin inside the call screen's WKWebView, which inherits those device permissions and can spoof the call UI or capture audio/video. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and the attack requires active user interaction.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 19, 2026

Element X iOS releases before 26.05.0 parse io.element.call:// deep links without validating the embedded target against a URL allowlist, allowing a crafted link to load an attacker-controlled origin into the in-app call screen's WKWebView. Because that web view runs inside the Element X process, it inherits any microphone and camera permissions the user previously granted the app, so the attacker's page can reach device media capture. Exploitation requires the victim to actually open the malicious link and to have already granted Element X iOS media permissions; the vendor fixed the issue in 26.05.0, and no public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation was identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Upgrade Element X iOS to version 26.05.0 or later, which is the vendor-released patch; the release is at https://github.com/element-hq/element-x-ios/releases/tag/release/26.05.0 and the vendor advisory with full details is https://github.com/element-hq/element-x-ios/security/advisories/GHSA-54w7-rw44-49m7. The upstream change (commit 63592e48c1a1a47f75693045efd85a7d4468ea84, PR 5515) removes the generic io.element.call:// handling path used before login, so patched builds no longer open an arbitrary URL in the call screen's WKWebView. If immediate upgrading is not possible, the most effective compensating control is to revoke camera and microphone permissions for Element X iOS in iOS Settings (Privacy & Security > Microphone / Camera) and re-grant them only for the duration of a legitimate call; the trade-off is that the user must toggle the permission before and after each call, and notifications or background call handling that depend on those grants will not work while they are revoked. Additional hardening includes instructing users not to open unsolicited io.element.call:// links from untrusted sources and restricting distribution of the scheme through managed app configuration or MDM link-handling policies where feasible, though iOS does not let a user permanently block a single custom scheme without uninstalling the app. Because exploitation requires user interaction plus a pre-existing media permission grant, treating the issue as moderate severity and prioritizing the upgrade alongside routine app updates is reasonable.

Affected VersionsENISA

element-x-ios < 26.05.0

Affected Packages

euvd element_x_ios fix: 26.05.0

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

iOS apps register custom URL schemes that launch them from links, messages, or other apps, and Element X iOS routes such incoming links through a chain of URLParser implementations that map a URL to an internal AppRoute. Before 26.05.0 the chain included an ElementCallURLParser that held a host allowlist of call.element.io (with a url query parameter) but also produced a generic .genericCallLink route for call links generated outside a chat room; that generic path skipped the allowlist check and handed the URL to a CallScreenCoordinator backed by a WKWebView. Since WKWebView media capture in an iOS app is authorized at the app level rather than per web origin, a page loaded into that web view receives camera and microphone access once the user has granted those permissions to Element X. This is a CWE-20 improper input validation flaw: untrusted input in a custom-scheme URL was not constrained to a trusted set of origins before being used to instantiate a privileged web view. The upstream fix commit 63592e48c1a1a47f75693045efd85a7d4468ea84 removes the genericCallLink AppRoute case, deletes the ElementCallURLParser from the parser chain, removes AppCoordinator.presentCallScreen(genericCallLink:) and the associated GenericCallLinkWidgetDriver.swift file - i.e. it eliminates the signed-out generic call link entry point entirely rather than merely tightening the allowlist.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (github) PRIMARY 5.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 4.3 MEDIUM

Deep link is remotely deliverable (AV:N) with no auth (PR:N) but mandatory link-opening makes UI:R; impact is limited low-confidentiality media/origin exposure gated by a prior permission grant, so C:L, I:N, A:N.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (github).

CVSS VectorVendor: github

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Active
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
Low
Vulnerable system: Integrity
None
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 19, 2026 - 19:03 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 19, 2026 - 18:17 cve.org
MEDIUM 5.1

DescriptionCVE.org

Element X iOS is a Matrix iOS Client provided by Element. Element X iOS before version 26.05.0 fails to check the URL allowlist when parsing io.element.call://. If an attacker is able to trick the user into opening a maliciously crafted io.element.call:// URL, they are able to load an attacker-controlled origin inside the call screen's WKWebView which will be granted device microphone and camera permissions (provided the user has previously granted these permissions to Element X iOS). This issue has been patched in version 26.05.0.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 78% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
specific Matrix iOS client app, limited mobile install base
Social Media
1
Sightings
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

26
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +26
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

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