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CVE-2022-4170· NVD / CVE Program· CNA fedora

The rxvt-unicode package is vulnerable to a remote code execution, in the Perl background extension, when an attacker can control the data w

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Plan (action score 40/100)

  • 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: 2.2% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 82.2% 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: rxvt-unicode (Debian:13) 9.31-1; rxvt-unicode (openSUSE:Tumbleweed) 9.31-1.1; rxvt-unicode (SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP4) 9.31-bp155.3.3.1.

Add it to your regular patch cycle. Upgrade to rxvt-unicode (Debian:13) 9.31-1; rxvt-unicode (openSUSE:Tumbleweed) 9.31-1.1; rxvt-unicode (SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP4) 9.31-bp155.3.3.1 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

The rxvt-unicode package is vulnerable to a remote code execution, in the Perl background extension, when an attacker can control the data written to the user's terminal and certain options are set.

CriticalCVSS 9.8 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Dec 9, 2022
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
2.2% · 82th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

40

Plan

Add it to your regular patch cycle.

CVSS
39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
1 / 30 · 2.2%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
yes
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

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.

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When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi 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.

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Affected 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.

VendorProduct
rxvt-unicode projectrxvt-unicode
fedoraprojectextra packages for enterprise linux
fedoraprojectfedora

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • fedoraproject extra packages for enterprise linux8.0
  • fedoraproject fedora37
  • rxvt-unicode project rxvt-unicode9.25
  • rxvt-unicode project rxvt-unicode9.26

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (fedora). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • n/a rxvt-unicode

    • rxvt-unicode 9.30affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12rxvt-unicodeall versions—
Debian:13rxvt-unicodebefore 9.31-19.31-1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedrxvt-unicodebefore 9.31-1.19.31-1.1
SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP4rxvt-unicodebefore 9.31-bp155.3.3.19.31-bp155.3.3.1
SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP4rxvt-unicodebefore 9.31-bp155.3.3.19.31-bp155.3.3.1

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
debian:rxvt-unicode9.31-1 · Debian:13Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:rxvt-unicode9.31-bp155.3.3.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.4Package registry (OSV)
suse:rxvt-unicode9.31-bp155.3.3.1 · SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP4Package 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.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

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
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-74 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records