CVE-2022-39957: Response body bypass in OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set via a specialy crafted charset in the HTTP Accept header
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 30/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.99% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 63.1% of all records.
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
- Fixed version: modsecurity-crs (Debian:10) 3.2.3-0+deb10u3; modsecurity-crs (Debian:11) 3.3.4-1~deb11u1; modsecurity-crs (Debian:12) 3.3.4-1.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to modsecurity-crs (Debian:10) 3.2.3-0+deb10u3; modsecurity-crs (Debian:11) 3.3.4-1~deb11u1; modsecurity-crs (Debian:12) 3.3.4-1 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
The OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set (CRS) is affected by a response body bypass. A client can issue an HTTP Accept header field containing an optional "charset" parameter in order to receive the response in an encoded form. Depending on the "charset", this response can not be decoded by the web application firewall. A restricted resource, access to which would ordinarily be detected, may therefore bypass detection. The legacy CRS versions 3.0.x and 3.1.x are affected, as well as the currently supported versions 3.2.1 and 3.3.2. Integrators and users are advised to upgrade to 3.2.2 and 3.3.3 respectively.
- Published
- Sep 20, 2022
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.9% · 63th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-693
Report tools
Action score
30
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.9%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 7.5
- CNA · NCSC.ch
- 7.3
- 0.2 point gap
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
Is your version affected? Check itNoroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| owasp | owasp modsecurity core rule set | cpe:2.3:a:owasp:owasp_modsecurity_core_rule_set |
| fedoraproject | fedora | cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora |
| debian | debian linux | cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux |
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (NCSC.ch). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set
- 3.0.x, 3.1.xaffected
- unspecified and later · up to and including 3.2.1affected
- unspecified and later · up to and including 3.3.2affected
Affected versions · NVD (6)
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- debian debian linux10.0
- fedoraproject fedora35
- fedoraproject fedora36
- fedoraproject fedora37
- owasp owasp modsecurity core rule set3.0.0 and later · before 3.2.2
- owasp owasp modsecurity core rule set3.3.0 and later · before 3.3.3
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:10 | modsecurity-crs | before 3.2.3-0+deb10u3 | 3.2.3-0+deb10u3 |
| Debian:11 | modsecurity-crs | before 3.3.4-1~deb11u1 | 3.3.4-1~deb11u1 |
| Debian:12 | modsecurity-crs | before 3.3.4-1 | 3.3.4-1 |
Same product
owasp: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2021-35368OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set 3.1.x before 3.1.2, 3.2.x before 3.2.1, and 3.3.x before 3.3.2 is affected by a Request Body Bypass via a…40Plan
- CVE-2022-39956Partial rule set bypass in OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set for HTTP multipart requests using character encoding in the Content-Type or…39Monitor
- CVE-2022-39955Partial rule set bypass in OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set by submitting a specially crafted HTTP Content-Type header39Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2018-16384Sep 2, 2018 · A SQL injection bypass (aka PL1 bypass) exists in OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set (owasp-modsecurity-crs) through v3.1.0-rc3 via {`a`b}…31Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2020-22669Sep 2, 2022 · Modsecurity owasp-modsecurity-crs 3.2.0 (Paranoia level at PL1) has a SQL injection bypass vulnerability.39Monitor
- Later →CVE-2022-39958Sep 20, 2022 · Response body bypass in OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set via repeated HTTP Range header submission with a small byte range30Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:modsecurity-crs | 3.3.4-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · patch commit or PR link · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- none
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- None
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-693 · Protection Mechanism FailureCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLsCAPEC-1likelihood: High · High
- Cross Site TracingCAPEC-107likelihood: Medium · Very High
- Directory IndexingCAPEC-127likelihood: High · Medium
- Using Malicious FilesCAPEC-17likelihood: High · Very High
- Encryption Brute ForcingCAPEC-20likelihood: Low · Low
- Exploiting Trust in ClientCAPEC-22likelihood: High · High
- Escaping a Sandbox by Calling Code in Another LanguageCAPEC-237likelihood: Low · Very High
- Using Unpublished Interfaces or FunctionalityCAPEC-36likelihood: Medium · High
Change log (1)
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (6 more)Show less
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/01/msg00033.html
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/HL2L2GF7GOCWPMJZDUE5OXDSXHGG3XUJ/
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PD56EAYNGB6E6QQH62LAYCONOP6OH5DZ/
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/YPQ6CCMX3MU4A7MTCGQJA7VMJW3IQDXV/
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/202305-25
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/08/msg00004.html
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.