CVE-2022-4450: Double free after calling PEM_read_bio_ex
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 39/100)
- 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: 28.5% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 98.1% 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: OpenSSL OpenSSL 3.0.8.
- Mentioned 6 times in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).
Low priority for now. Upgrade to OpenSSL OpenSSL 3.0.8 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 function PEM_read_bio_ex() reads a PEM file from a BIO and parses and decodes the "name" (e.g. "CERTIFICATE"), any header data and the payload data. If the function succeeds then the "name_out", "header" and "data" arguments are populated with pointers to buffers containing the relevant decoded data. The caller is responsible for freeing those buffers. It is possible to construct a PEM file that results in 0 bytes of payload data. In this case PEM_read_bio_ex() will return a failure code but will populate the header argument with a pointer to a buffer that has already been freed. If the caller also frees this buffer then a double free will occur. This will most likely lead to a crash. This could be exploited by an attacker who has the ability to supply malicious PEM files for parsing to achieve a denial of service attack. The functions PEM_read_bio() and PEM_read() are simple wrappers around PEM_read_bio_ex() and therefore these functions are also directly affected. These functions are also called indirectly by a number of other OpenSSL functions including PEM_X509_INFO_read_bio_ex() and SSL_CTX_use_serverinfo_file() which are also vulnerable. Some OpenSSL internal uses of these functions are not vulnerable because the caller does not free the header argument if PEM_read_bio_ex() returns a failure code. These locations include the PEM_read_bio_TYPE() functions as well as the decoders introduced in OpenSSL 3.0. The OpenSSL asn1parse command line application is also impacted by this issue.
- BDU:2023-02240
- GHSA-v5w6-wcm8-jm4q
- ALSA-2023:0946
- ALSA-2023:1405
- ALSA-2023:2165
- ALSA-2023:2932
- DLA-3325-1
- DSA-5343-1
- openSUSE-SU-2024:12688-1
- openSUSE-SU-2024:12716-1
- RHSA-2023:0946
- RHSA-2023:1199
- RHSA-2023:1405
- RHSA-2023:2165
- RHSA-2023:2932
- RHSA-2023:3354
- RHSA-2023:3408
- RHSA-2023:3420
- RLSA-2023:0946
- RLSA-2023:1405
- Published
- Feb 8, 2023
- Updated
- Oct 14, 2026
- EPSS
- 28.5% · 98th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-415
Report tools
Action score
39
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 9 / 30 · 28.5%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 7.5
- CNA · openssl
- 7.5
- agree
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.
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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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| openssl | openssl | cpe:2.3:a:openssl:openssl |
| stormshield | stormshield network security | cpe:2.3:a:stormshield:stormshield_network_security |
Check your server's TLS configuration
The OpenSSL version can't be seen from outside; the free SSL checker tests your certificate, enabled TLS versions and weak ciphers. Confirm the version on your server with the package manager.
Run the SSL checkAffected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- openssl openssl1.1.1 and later · before 1.1.1t
- openssl openssl3.0.0 and later · before 3.0.8
- stormshield stormshield network security4.0.0 and later · before 4.3.16
- stormshield stormshield network security4.4.0 and later · before 4.6.3
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (openssl). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
OpenSSL OpenSSL
- 3.0.0 and later · before 3.0.8affected · semver
- 1.1.1 and later · before 1.1.1taffected
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlmaLinux:8 | edk2-aarch64 | before 20220126gitbb1bba3d77-4.el8 | 20220126gitbb1bba3d77-4.el8 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | edk2-ovmf | before 20220126gitbb1bba3d77-4.el8 | 20220126gitbb1bba3d77-4.el8 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssl | before 1:1.1.1k-9.el8_7 | 1:1.1.1k-9.el8_7 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssl-devel | before 1:1.1.1k-9.el8_7 | 1:1.1.1k-9.el8_7 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssl-libs | before 1:1.1.1k-9.el8_7 | 1:1.1.1k-9.el8_7 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | openssl-perl | before 1:1.1.1k-9.el8_7 | 1:1.1.1k-9.el8_7 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | edk2-aarch64 | before 20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 | 20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | edk2-ovmf | before 20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 | 20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | edk2-tools | before 20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 | 20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | edk2-tools-doc | before 20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 | 20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | openssl | before 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | openssl-devel | before 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | openssl-libs | before 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | openssl-perl | before 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 |
| Alpine:v3.14 | openssl | from 1.1.1 · before 1.1.1t-r0 | 1.1.1t-r0 |
| Alpine:v3.15 | openssl3 | before 3.0.8-r0 | 3.0.8-r0 |
| Alpine:v3.17 | openssl | from 1.1.1 · before 3.0.8-r0 | 3.0.8-r0 |
| crates.io | openssl-src | from 0.0.0-0 · before 111.25.0 | 111.25.0 |
| crates.io | openssl-src | from 300.0.0 · before 300.0.12 | 300.0.12 |
| crates.io | openssl-src | before 111.25.0 | 111.25.0 |
| Debian:10 | openssl | before 1.1.1n-0+deb10u4 | 1.1.1n-0+deb10u4 |
| Debian:11 | openssl | before 1.1.1n-0+deb11u4 | 1.1.1n-0+deb11u4 |
| Debian:12 | openssl | before 3.0.8-1 | 3.0.8-1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | openssl-3 | before 3.0.1-150400.4.17.1 | 3.0.1-150400.4.17.1 |
+96
Same product
openssl: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2014-0160The (1) TLS and (2) DTLS implementations in OpenSSL 1.0.1 before 1.0.1g do not properly handle Heartbeat Extension packets, which allows remKEV90Now
- CVE-2021-3711SM2 Decryption Buffer Overflow65This week
- CVE-2003-0545Double free vulnerability in OpenSSL 0.9.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code 65This week
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2023-0401Feb 8, 2023 · NULL dereference during PKCS7 data verification31Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2022-4304Feb 8, 2023 · Timing Oracle in RSA Decryption30Monitor
- Later →CVE-2023-0215Feb 8, 2023 · Use-after-free following BIO_new_NDEF32Monitor
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 |
|---|---|---|
| OpenSSL OpenSSL | 3.0.8 | Vendor (CNA) |
| almalinux:edk2-aarch64 | 20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:edk2-ovmf | 20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:edk2-tools | 20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:edk2-tools-doc | 20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:openssl | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:openssl-devel | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:openssl-libs | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| almalinux:openssl-perl | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 · AlmaLinux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| alpine:openssl | 1.1.1t-r0 · Alpine:v3.14 | Package registry (OSV) |
| alpine:openssl3 | 3.0.8-r0 · Alpine:v3.15 | Package registry (OSV) |
| crates.io:openssl-src | 111.25.0 | Package registry (OSV) |
| crates.io:openssl-src | 300.0.12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:openssl | 3.0.8-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:openssl-1_1 | 1.1.1d-150200.11.57.1 · openSUSE:Leap Micro 5.2 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:openssl-3 | 3.0.1-150400.4.17.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:edk2 | 0:20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:edk2-aarch64 | 0:20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:edk2-debugsource | 0:20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::crb | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:edk2-ovmf | 0:20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:edk2-tools | 0:20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::crb | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssl | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::baseos | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssl-debuginfo | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssl-debugsource | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssl-devel | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssl-libs | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::baseos | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssl-libs-debuginfo | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:openssl-perl | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | Package registry (OSV) |
| rocky linux:openssl | 1:3.0.1-47.el9_1 · Rocky Linux:9 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:openssl-1_1 | 1.1.1d-150200.11.57.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS | Package registry (OSV) |
+2
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.
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.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
- CarpetFuzzfinder
- Dawei Wangreporter
- Marc Schönefeldreporter
- Kurt Roeckxremediation developer
- Matt Caswellremediation developer
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).
National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)
Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.
- TR-24-0015 · Jan 8, 2024( Mitsubishi Electric Zafiyeti)
- TR-23-0325 · Jun 6, 2023(Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Sunucu Güvenlik Güncellemesi)
- TR-23-0300 · May 29, 2023(Dell Güvenlik Bildirimi)
- TR-23-0264 · May 5, 2023(IBM Güvenlik Bildirimi)
- TR-23-0095 · Feb 17, 2023(FreeBSD Güvenlik Güncellemesi)
- TR-23-0067 · Feb 8, 2023(OpenSSL Güvenlik Güncellemesi )
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
- none
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-415 · Double FreeCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (15 more)Show less
- git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=bbcf509bd046b34cca19c766bbddc31683d0858b
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/202402-08
- www.openssl.org/news/secadv/20230207.txt
- psirt.global.sonicwall.com/vuln-detail/SNWLID-2023-0003
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-203374.html
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-337522.html
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-556635.html
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-561322.html
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-625862.html
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-699386.html
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-769027.html
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-794697.html
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-879734.html
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-943925.html
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.