CVE-2023-33981: Briar before 1.4.22 allows attackers to spoof other users' messages in a blog, forum, or private group, but ea

Q: How do I fix CVE-2023-33981?

briar: upgrade to 1.4.22. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2023-33981 being exploited?

CVE-2023-33981 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2023-33981 affect?

CVE-2023-33981 affects briar. Severity is medium (CVSS 6.5). Briar before 1.4.22 allows attackers to spoof other users' messages in a blog, forum, or private group, but each spoofed message would need to be an exact duplicate of a legitimate message displayed alongside the spoofed one.

Q: How urgent is CVE-2023-33981?

Priority 34/100. Public exploit reference

Routine

MEDIUM 6.5UPGRADE

CVE-2023-33981 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 6.5) affecting briar. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Briar before 1.4.22 allows attackers to spoof other users' messages in a blog, forum, or private group, but each spoofed message would need to be an exact duplicate of a legitimate message displayed alongside the spoofed one.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	6.5 (Medium)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.3% (top 73%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-354
Published	2023-05-24
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: briarproject

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2023-05-24 18:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 06:02 UTCUpdated Record last modified

briarproject briar UPGRADE

Affected: < 1.4.22

Fixed in: 1.4.22

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy briar || rpm -q briar || briar --version

2. UPGRADE to 1.4.22 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade briar

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade briar

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2023-33981?

briar: upgrade to 1.4.22. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2023-33981 being exploited?

CVE-2023-33981 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2023-33981 affect?

CVE-2023-33981 affects briar. Severity is medium (CVSS 6.5). Briar before 1.4.22 allows attackers to spoof other users' messages in a blog, forum, or private group, but each spoofed message would need to be an exact duplicate of a legitimate message displayed alongside the spoofed one.

How urgent is CVE-2023-33981?

Priority 34/100. Public exploit reference

Related CVEs

CVE-2023-33983 HIGH 7.4 UPGRADE The Introduction Client in Briar through 1.5.3 does not implement out-of-band verification for the public keys
CVE-2023-33982 MEDIUM 5.9 UPGRADE Bramble Handshake Protocol (BHP) in Briar before 1.5.3 is not forward secure: eavesdroppers can decrypt networ
CVE-2023-33980 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE Bramble Synchronisation Protocol (BSP) in Briar before 1.4.22 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (r

References

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