CVE-2022-23822
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 · uneditedIn this physical attack, an attacker may potentially exploit the Zynq-7000 SoC First Stage Boot Loader (FSBL) by bypassing authentication and loading a malicious image onto the device. This in turn may further allow the attacker to perform additional attacks such as such as using the device as a decryption oracle. An anticipated mitigation via a 2022.1 patch will resolve the issue.
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 · moderate confidenceThe Zynq-7000 SoC First Stage Boot Loader (FSBL) contains an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows a physical attacker to load a malicious boot image onto the device. This enables the attacker to gain code execution early in the boot chain, potentially leveraging the device as a decryption oracle for further attacks.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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< 2022.1< 2022.1CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify the FSBL firmware versionAccess the device via JTAG, UART debug console, or read the boot header from flash memory. Query the bootloader version identifier or examine the build timestamp embedded in the FSBL binary.Affected if The firmware version is < 2022.1 or the version string cannot be verified as 2022.1 or later
-
Verify the boot image authentication mechanismExamine the boot image (BOOT.BIN) header using Xilinx tools or a hex editor. Check the authentication/signature validation settings configured in the boot header.Affected if Authentication is disabled or set to none, or the boot image lacks cryptographic signature verification
-
Confirm the physical boot medium accessibilityInspect the physical location of the device and determine whether the flash memory (NAND/NOR), SD card slot, or JTAG debug interface is accessible to unauthorized personnel.Affected if The device or its programming interfaces are physically accessible without restricted access controls
-
Check for FSBL patch appliedIf available, review the FSBL source code or binary for the presence of the CVE-2022-23822 fix by examining the authentication bypass validation routines, or use Xilinx tools to verify the bootloader build information.Affected if The FSBL does not contain the 2022.1 patch or the fix cannot be confirmed in the installed version
The device is affected if the FSBL firmware version is < 2022.1 and the boot image authentication is not properly enforcing signature validation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped2022.1
Apply the Xilinx 2022.1 patch to update the FSBL with the fixed bootloader. Additionally, implement physical security controls to prevent unauthorized access to the device during the attack window.
2022.1
- Obtain the Zynq-7000 or Zynq-7000s firmware version 2022.1 from Xilinx (support.xilinx.com or github.com)
- Backup current firmware before proceeding
- Follow Xilinx standard firmware update procedures for Zynq-7000 series devices
- Verify the FSBL is now running the patched version 2022.1
- Confirm boot authentication is functioning correctly post-upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-23822 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-23822 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data