NULL pointer dereference in Libarchive

CVE-2022-36227

In libarchive before 3.6.2, the software does not check for an error after calling calloc function that can return with a NULL pointer if the function fails, which leads to a resultant NULL pointer dereference. NOTE: the discoverer cites this CWE-476 remark but third parties dispute the code-execution impact: "In rare circumstances, when NULL is equivalent to the 0x0 memory address and privileged code can access it, then writing or reading memory is possible, which may lead to code execution."

EPSS: 0.019 (78.0th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-36227?
CVE-2022-36227 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Libarchive, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2022-11-22.
How severe is CVE-2022-36227?
Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.