dbcve.org
Syslog NgApplication · Oneidentity

CVE-2022-38725

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.38.1 / 6.0.5 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
An integer overflow in the RFC3164 parser in One Identity syslog-ng 3.0 through 3.37 allows remote attackers to cause a Denial of Service via crafted syslog input that is mishandled by the tcp or network function. syslog-ng Premium Edition 7.0.30 and syslog-ng Store Box 6.10.0 are also affected.

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

An integer overflow vulnerability exists in the RFC3164 parser of syslog-ng versions 3.0 through 3.37 (and Premium Edition 7.0.30, Store Box 6.10.0). Remote attackers can send specially crafted syslog messages via TCP or network functions that trigger the overflow, causing a denial of service condition.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of syslog-ng. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict or filter incoming syslog messages from untrusted sources at network boundaries.

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
Syslog NgApplication
Affected:< 3.38.1< 7.0.32
Syslog Ng Store BoxApplication
Affected:< 6.0.5< 7.0

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 the syslog-ng version installed
    Run 'syslog-ng --version' or check the package manager (e.g., 'dpkg -l syslog-ng', 'rpm -qi syslog-ng', or 'yum info syslog-ng')
    Affected if The installed version is below 3.38.1 for the open source edition, or below 7.0.32 for Premium Edition, or below 6.0.5/7.0 for Store Box versions
  2. Locate the syslog-ng configuration file
    Common paths include /etc/syslog-ng/syslog-ng.conf, /etc/syslog-ng.conf, or check syslog-ng startup scripts for the config file path
    Affected if A configuration file exists and syslog-ng is running
  3. Verify if RFC3164 parsing is enabled
    Inspect the configuration file for 'parser' or '/rfc3164/' directives, or look for 'syslog' or 'network' source definitions that receive messages
    Affected if The configuration includes RFC3164 parser modules or network-based message sources using the BSD syslog format
  4. Confirm network-based syslog reception is active
    Check the configuration for 'source' blocks with TCP or UDP drivers (e.g., 'tcp()', 'udp()' in source definitions), or run 'netstat -tlnp | grep syslog' or 'ss -tlnp | grep syslog' to see listening ports
    Affected if syslog-ng is listening on TCP or UDP ports for incoming network messages

A user is affected if their syslog-ng version is below 3.38.1 (or below 7.0.32 for Premium Edition), AND the RFC3164 parser is enabled with network-based syslog message reception configured.

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 3.38.1 / 6.0.5 / 7.0 or later
Fixed in 3.38.16.0.57.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of syslog-ng. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict or filter incoming syslog messages from untrusted sources at network boundaries.

Recommended fix High confidence

syslog-ng 3.38.1+ / 7.0.32+; Syslog Ng Store Box 6.0.5+ / 7.0+

  1. Identify your current syslog-ng version using 'syslog-ng --version' or checking your package manager
  2. For syslog-ng 3.x users: Upgrade to version 3.38.1 or later
  3. For syslog-ng 7.x users: Upgrade to version 7.0.32 or later
  4. For Syslog Ng Store Box 6.x users: Upgrade to version 6.0.5 or later
  5. For Syslog Ng Store Box 7.x users: Upgrade to version 7.0 or later
  6. After upgrade, restart the syslog-ng service: 'systemctl restart syslog-ng' or 'service syslog-ng restart'
  7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version again
  8. Review syslog-ng configuration files to ensure compatibility with the new version
Caveat Review release notes for breaking changes between your current version and the target upgrade version before proceeding

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

Fix this in Syslog Ng Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-38725 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-38725 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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