CVE-2022-3945 is a critical security vulnerability identified in the kareadita/kavita project, an open-source application hosted on GitHub. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-307, which pertains to the improper restriction of excessive authentication attempts. This means that the affected versions of the software prior to 0.6.0.3 do not adequately limit the number of login attempts an attacker can make. As a result, an attacker can perform brute-force or credential stuffing attacks without being blocked or slowed down by rate limiting or account lockout mechanisms. The CVSS v3.0 base score of 9.4 reflects the severity of this issue, indicating that it is remotely exploitable over the network (AV:N), requires no privileges (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), but the impact on confidentiality and integrity is high (C:H/I:H), with a low impact on availability (A:L). Exploiting this vulnerability could allow an attacker to gain unauthorized access to user accounts, potentially leading to data theft, account takeover, and further compromise of the system. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the ease of exploitation and the critical nature of the vulnerability make it a significant threat. The lack of patch links suggests that users should upgrade to version 0.6.0.3 or later where this issue is resolved. The vulnerability affects all unspecified versions prior to the fix, indicating a broad attack surface for deployments using this software.

For European organizations using kareadita/kavita, this vulnerability poses a serious risk to the confidentiality and integrity of user data. Unauthorized access through brute-force attacks could lead to exposure of sensitive information, unauthorized actions within the application, and potential lateral movement within organizational networks if credentials are reused. Given the critical CVSS score, exploitation could disrupt trust in the affected service and lead to regulatory compliance issues, especially under GDPR, which mandates protection of personal data. The low impact on availability means service disruption is less likely, but the compromise of accounts could still have significant operational and reputational consequences. Organizations relying on this software for digital library management or media cataloging should be particularly vigilant, as attackers could leverage compromised accounts to manipulate content or access internal resources. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the vulnerability’s characteristics suggest it could be targeted in the near future.

1. Immediate upgrade to kareadita/kavita version 0.6.0.3 or later where the vulnerability is fixed. 2. Implement additional protective controls such as Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rate-limiting rules specifically targeting authentication endpoints to block excessive login attempts. 3. Enforce strong password policies and encourage or require multi-factor authentication (MFA) where possible to reduce the risk of account compromise even if brute-force attempts succeed. 4. Monitor authentication logs for unusual patterns indicative of brute-force or credential stuffing attacks, and set up alerts for rapid response. 5. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, consider deploying reverse proxies or API gateways that can impose rate limits and IP blocking to mitigate attack vectors. 6. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on authentication mechanisms to identify and remediate similar weaknesses. 7. Educate users about the risks of password reuse and phishing, which can compound the impact of this vulnerability.