SystemdsApplication · Apache
CVE-2022-26477
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 · uneditedThe Security Team noticed that the termination condition of the for loop in the readExternal method is a controllable variable, which, if tampered with, may lead to CPU exhaustion. As a fix, we added an upper bound and termination condition in the read and write logic. We classify it as a "low-priority but useful improvement". SystemDS is a distributed system and needs to serialize/deserialize data but in many code paths (e.g., on Spark broadcast/shuffle or writing to sequence files) the byte stream is anyway protected by additional CRC fingerprints. In this particular case though, the number of decoders is upper-bounded by twice the number of columns, which means an attacker would need to modify two entries in the byte stream in a consistent manner. By adding these checks robustness was strictly improved with almost zero overhead. These code changes are available in versions higher than 2.2.1.
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 · high confidenceA missing bounds check in SystemDS readExternal method allows an attacker to manipulate the loop termination condition in serialized data, leading to CPU exhaustion (DoS). The vulnerability exists because the number of decoders is derived from untrusted input without proper upper bounds validation. Exploitation requires modifying two entries in the byte stream in a consistent manner.
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
SystemdsApplication
<= 2.2.1CVSS 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
- 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
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.
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Identify installed Apache SystemDS versionLocate the SystemDS installation directory and check the version file or JAR manifest. Common paths: /usr/local/systemds, ~/systemds, or within a Python package (pip show systemds). If using Maven/Gradle, check pom.xml or build.gradle for the dependency version.Affected if The version is 2.2.1 or lower (any version <= 2.2.1 is affected).
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Confirm readExternal usage in deploymentSearch for code that calls readExternal, readObject, or deserializes SystemDS models/data. Check for patterns like: DataStreamMatrices.readExternal, Externalizable implementations, or deserialization of .scala or .ser files from untrusted sources.Affected if The application deserializes SystemDS data models or matrices from external sources using readExternal or similar methods.
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Inspect serialized data handling configurationReview application configuration files (conf/*.xml, conf/*.properties, application.yml) for settings related to model loading, data import, or deserialization. Look for flags enabling deserialization from file, HTTP, or database sources.Affected if Configuration allows loading models or data from untrusted serialized sources without validation.
The environment is affected if Apache SystemDS version is 2.2.1 or lower AND the application deserializes external data using readExternal or similar methods.
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 · scopedUpgrade SystemDS to a version higher than 2.2.1 which contains the upper bound and termination condition fixes in read/write logic.
Apache SystemDS 2.2.2 or later
- 1. Identify the current Apache SystemDS version in use
- 2. Download Apache SystemDS version 2.2.2 or later from the official Apache repository (https://archive.apache.org/dist/systemds/)
- 3. Backup the current SystemDS installation and any associated data
- 4. Install the new version following the standard installation process
- 5. Verify the version has been updated successfully
- 6. Test that the deserialization functionality works correctly with the new version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Systemds
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-26477 — 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-2022-26477 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
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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