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Google ProtobufApplication · Google

CVE-2022-3171

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-10-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.16.3 / 3.19.6 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A parsing issue with binary data in protobuf-java core and lite versions prior to 3.21.7, 3.20.3, 3.19.6 and 3.16.3 can lead to a denial of service attack. Inputs containing multiple instances of non-repeated embedded messages with repeated or unknown fields causes objects to be converted back-n-forth between mutable and immutable forms, resulting in potentially long garbage collection pauses. We recommend updating to the versions mentioned above.

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 confidence

A parsing vulnerability in protobuf-java versions prior to 3.21.7, 3.20.3, 3.19.6, and 3.16.3 allows specially crafted binary data containing non-repeated embedded messages with repeated or unknown fields to trigger excessive back-and-forth conversions between mutable and immutable object forms, causing prolonged garbage collection pauses leading to denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade protobuf-java to version 3.21.7, 3.20.3, 3.19.6, or 3.16.3 (or later) depending on your release branch line to resolve the parsing inefficiency.

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
Google ProtobufApplication
Affected:< 3.16.3>= 3.17.0, < 3.19.6>= 3.20.0, < 3.20.3>= 3.21.0, < 3.21.7
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 37
Protobuf JavaApplication
Affected:< 3.16.3>= 3.17.0, < 3.19.6>= 3.20.0, < 3.20.3>= 3.21.0, < 3.21.7
Protobuf JavaliteApplication
Affected:< 3.16.3>= 3.17.0, < 3.19.6>= 3.20.0, < 3.20.3>= 3.21.0, < 3.21.7
Protobuf KotlinApplication
Affected:< 3.16.3>= 3.17.0, < 3.19.6>= 3.20.0, < 3.20.3>= 3.21.0, < 3.21.7
Protobuf Kotlin LiteApplication
Affected:< 3.16.3>= 3.17.0, < 3.19.6>= 3.20.0, < 3.20.3>= 3.21.0, < 3.21.7

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

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify protobuf library in use
    Locate protobuf JAR files or dependency declarations (pom.xml, build.gradle, requirements.txt) and note the library name: protobuf-java, protobuf-javalite, protobuf-kotlin, or protobuf-kotlin-lite.
    Affected if The project uses any of the listed protobuf libraries.
  2. Determine installed protobuf version
    Check the library version from your build file, JAR manifest, or by querying the installed package (for example, 'mvn dependency:list' for Maven, or inspect the JAR filename which typically includes the version).
    Affected if The installed version is prior to 3.16.3, or between 3.17.0 and 3.19.5 inclusive, or between 3.20.0 and 3.20.2 inclusive, or between 3.21.0 and 3.21.6 inclusive.
  3. Check for protobuf parsing of external data
    Search application code for calls to Parser.parseFrom() or related parsing methods that process binary protobuf data from network sources, file input, or user-provided payloads.
    Affected if The application parses protobuf data from untrusted or external sources, enabling the vulnerable code path.
  4. Verify protobuf runtime is loaded
    Confirm the vulnerable protobuf library is actually loaded at runtime by inspecting process memory, classpath, or runtime dependency reports.
    Affected if The vulnerable version of protobuf-java, protobuf-javalite, protobuf-kotlin, or protobuf-kotlin-lite is loaded in the runtime environment.

You are affected if your environment loads a protobuf library version matching the affected ranges AND processes binary protobuf data from external sources.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 3.16.3 / 3.19.6 / 3.20.3 or later
Fixed in 3.16.33.19.63.20.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade protobuf-java to version 3.21.7, 3.20.3, 3.19.6, or 3.16.3 (or later) depending on your release branch line to resolve the parsing inefficiency.

Recommended fix High confidence

3.21.7 (or 3.20.3, 3.19.6, or 3.16.3 depending on current version branch)

  1. Identify the specific protobuf library in use (protobuf-java, protobuf-javalite, protobuf-kotlin, or protobuf-kotlin-lite)
  2. Determine the current version of the protobuf library from project dependencies (e.g., pom.xml, build.gradle, requirements.txt)
  3. For versions < 3.16.3: upgrade to version 3.16.3 or later
  4. For versions >= 3.17.0 and < 3.19.6: upgrade to version 3.19.6 or later
  5. For versions >= 3.20.0 and < 3.20.3: upgrade to version 3.20.3 or later
  6. For versions >= 3.21.0 and < 3.21.7: upgrade to version 3.21.7 or later
  7. Rebuild and test the application to verify the upgrade resolves the denial of service issue
  8. Monitor for any unexpected behavior during runtime, particularly related to garbage collection
Caveat Protobuf minor version upgrades may include API changes; review release notes for any breaking changes between your current version and target version

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

Fix this in Google Protobuf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,340
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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-2022-3171 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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