Openvpn Access ServerApplication · Openvpn
CVE-2022-33738
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 · uneditedOpenVPN Access Server before 2.11 uses a weak random generator used to create user session token for the web portal
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 confidenceOpenVPN Access Server versions prior to 2.11 use a cryptographically weak random number generator when creating session tokens for the web portal. This could allow an attacker to predict or brute-force valid session tokens, potentially leading to unauthorized access to user sessions.
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
Openvpn Access ServerApplication
< 2.11.0CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 OpenVPN Access Server versionRun the command 'cat /usr/local/openvpn_as/etc/as.conf' or check the installed package version using 'dpkg -l openvpn-as' (Debian/Ubuntu) or 'rpm -qi openvpn-as' (RHEL/CentOS). Look for the version line in the output.Affected if The displayed version is less than 2.11.0 or the version line shows a number below 2.11
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Check web portal statusVerify the admin web interface is enabled by checking the configuration file at '/usr/local/openvpn_as/etc/as.conf' for 'web_config.daemon=enable' or by attempting to access the web portal URL (typically https://your-server:943/admin).Affected if The web portal is enabled and accessible (the vulnerability only affects session token generation for the web portal)
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Confirm version via asctl commandRun 'asctl version' or '/usr/local/openvpn_as/bin/asctl version' to retrieve the exact installed version number.Affected if The version reported is below 2.11.0
You are affected if the installed OpenVPN Access Server version is below 2.11.0 and the web portal interface is enabled.
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 · scoped2.11.0
Upgrade OpenVPN Access Server to version 2.11 or later, which implements a proper cryptographically secure random number generator for session token generation.
2.11.0 or later
- Back up the current OpenVPN Access Server configuration and data
- Download the latest OpenVPN Access Server version 2.11.0 or later from the official OpenVPN download center (openvpn.net)
- Stop the OpenVPN Access Server service
- Install the updated package using the appropriate package manager for your OS (e.g., apt, yum, or dpkg)
- Run the 'ovpn-init' or 'openvpn-as' reconfiguration utility if needed to apply the update
- Start the OpenVPN Access Server service
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version and logging into the web portal
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Openvpn Access Server
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-33738 — 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-2022-33738 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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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