Buffer overflow in X-Stream Xstream
CVE-2022-41966
XStream serializes Java objects to XML and back again. Versions prior to 1.4.20 may allow a remote attacker to terminate the application with a stack overflow error, resulting in a denial of service only via manipulation the processed input stream. The attack uses the hash code implementation for collections and maps to force recursive hash calculation causing a stack overflow. This issue is patched in version 1.4.20 which handles the stack overflow and raises an InputManipulationException instead. A potential workaround for users who only use HashMap or HashSet and whose XML refers these only as default map or set, is to change the default implementation of java.util.Map and java.util per the code example in the referenced advisory. However, this implies that your application does not care about the implementation of the map and all elements are comparable.
Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow
EPSS: 0.088 (94.8th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 8.2 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H.
Affected products
- X-stream Xstream — versions < 1.4.20
- Xstream
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Third Party Advisory, Mitigation)
- security-advisories@github.com (Exploit, x_refsource_MISC, Vendor Advisory)
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 (Third Party Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2022-41966?
- CVE-2022-41966 is a high-severity vulnerability in X-Stream Xstream, classified under Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input (Classic Buffer Overflow). CVSS score: 8.2/10. Published 2022-12-28.
- How severe is CVE-2022-41966?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.2 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2022-41966 known to be exploited?
- 11 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.