#VU62768 Uncontrolled Memory Allocation in OpenSSL - CVE-2022-1473

Vulnerability identifier: #VU62768

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 1.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2022-1473

CWE-ID: CWE-789

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
OpenSSL
Server applications / Encryption software

Vendor: OpenSSL Software Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to perform denial of service (DoS) attack.

The vulnerability exists due to memory reuse is not possible in the OPENSSL_LH_flush() function, which empties a hash table when decoding certificates or keys. If a long lived process periodically decodes certificates or keys its memory usage will expand without bounds and the process might be terminated by the operating system causing a denial of service.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

OpenSSL: 3.0.0 - 3.0.2

---

External links
https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=64c85430f95200b6b51fe9475bd5203f7c19daf1
https://www.openssl.org/news/secadv/20220503.txt

---

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.