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OpenSSLFramework / library

CVE-2022-0778

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-03-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.0.2zd / 1.1.1n or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The BN_mod_sqrt() function, which computes a modular square root, contains a bug that can cause it to loop forever for non-prime moduli. Internally this function is used when parsing certificates that contain elliptic curve public keys in compressed form or explicit elliptic curve parameters with a base point encoded in compressed form. It is possible to trigger the infinite loop by crafting a certificate that has invalid explicit curve parameters. Since certificate parsing happens prior to verification of the certificate signature, any process that parses an externally supplied certificate may thus be subject to a denial of service attack. The infinite loop can also be reached when parsing crafted private keys as they can contain explicit elliptic curve parameters. Thus vulnerable situations include: - TLS clients consuming server certificates - TLS servers consuming client certificates - Hosting providers taking certificates or private keys from customers - Certificate authorities parsing certification requests from subscribers - Anything else which parses ASN.1 elliptic curve parameters Also any other applications that use the BN_mod_sqrt() where the attacker can control the parameter values are vulnerable to this DoS issue. In the OpenSSL 1.0.2 version the public key is not parsed during initial parsing of the certificate which makes it slightly harder to trigger the infinite loop. However any operation which requires the public key from the certificate will trigger the infinite loop. In particular the attacker can use a self-signed certificate to trigger the loop during verification of the certificate signature. This issue affects OpenSSL versions 1.0.2, 1.1.1 and 3.0. It was addressed in the releases of 1.1.1n and 3.0.2 on the 15th March 2022. Fixed in OpenSSL 3.0.2 (Affected 3.0.0,3.0.1). Fixed in OpenSSL 1.1.1n (Affected 1.1.1-1.1.1m). Fixed in OpenSSL 1.0.2zd (Affected 1.0.2-1.0.2zc).

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-835

Crafted input drives a loop whose exit condition is never satisfied, hanging the thread and starving the service of the resource it occupies. A single request can be enough to take a worker down. Remediation is bounding iteration counts and validating the conditions that are supposed to terminate the loop.

General guidance for the infinite loop class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
OpenSSLFramework / library
Affected:>= 1.0.2, < 1.0.2zd>= 1.1.0, < 1.1.1n>= 3.0.0, < 3.0.2
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 9.0= 10.0= 11.0
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 34= 36
MariaDBDatabase / datastore
Affected:>= 10.2.0, < 10.2.42>= 10.3.0, < 10.3.33>= 10.4.0, < 10.4.23>= 10.5.0, < 10.5.14>= 10.6.0, < 10.6.6>= 10.7.0, < 10.7.2
Node.jsApplication
Affected:>= 12.0.0, <= 12.12.0>= 12.13.0, < 12.22.11> 14.0.0, <= 14.14.0>= 14.15.0, < 14.19.1> 16.0.0, <= 16.12.0>= 16.13.0, < 16.14.2> 17.0.0, < 17.7.2
Cloud Volumes Ontap MediatorApplication
Affected:all versions
Clustered Data OntapApplication
Affected:all versions
Clustered Data Ontap Antivirus ConnectorApplication
Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

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

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.0.2zd / 1.1.1n / 3.0.2 or later
Fixed in 1.0.2zd1.1.1n3.0.2
Recommended fix High confidence

OpenSSL 1.0.2zd, 1.1.1n, or 3.0.2 depending on current branch; or distribution/OS-specific patched packages

  1. Identify the OpenSSL version currently installed on the system (e.g., run 'openssl version' or check package manager)
  2. For systems using OpenSSL 1.0.2: upgrade to OpenSSL 1.0.2zd
  3. For systems using OpenSSL 1.1.1: upgrade to OpenSSL 1.1.1n
  4. For systems using OpenSSL 3.0.0 or 3.0.1: upgrade to OpenSSL 3.0.2
  5. For Linux distributions (Debian, Fedora): apply distribution-specific security updates via package manager (apt update && apt upgrade, or dnf update)
  6. For MariaDB: upgrade to version 10.2.42, 10.3.33, 10.4.23, or 10.5.14 respectively based on current branch
  7. For Node.js: upgrade to version 12.22.11, 14.19.1, or newer LTS release that includes the OpenSSL fix
  8. For NetApp products (Clustered Data Ontap, Cloud Volumes Ontap Mediator, Antivirus Connector): contact vendor for patch; no fixed version listed in advisory
Caveat OpenSSL upgrades are generally backward compatible for most applications; however, very old TLS configurations or custom code relying on specific ASN.1 parsing behavior may require testing

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,950. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-0778 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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