dbcve.org
Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2022-41853

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-10-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.7.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Those using java.sql.Statement or java.sql.PreparedStatement in hsqldb (HyperSQL DataBase) to process untrusted input may be vulnerable to a remote code execution attack. By default it is allowed to call any static method of any Java class in the classpath resulting in code execution. The issue can be prevented by updating to 2.7.1 or by setting the system property "hsqldb.method_class_names" to classes which are allowed to be called. For example, System.setProperty("hsqldb.method_class_names", "abc") or Java argument -Dhsqldb.method_class_names="abc" can be used. From version 2.7.1 all classes by default are not accessible except those in java.lang.Math and need to be manually enabled.

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

HSQLDB allows SQL statements via java.sql.Statement or PreparedStatement to invoke arbitrary static Java methods by default, enabling attackers to execute malicious code by crafting SQL that calls methods like Runtime.getRuntime().exec() on classes in the classpath.

MitigationUpdate to HSQLDB 2.7.1+ where access is restricted by default, or set the system property hsqldb.method_class_names to explicitly whitelist only safe classes.

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
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 10.0= 11.0
Hypersql DatabaseDatabase / datastore
Affected:< 2.7.1

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify HSQLDB installation and version
    Locate HSQLDB jar files (hsqldb*.jar) in the system, typically in Java application lib directories, database folders, or application packaging. Check the filename for version (e.g., hsqldb-2.5.1.jar) or examine the jar manifest for the version attribute.
    Affected if The installed HSQLDB version is below 2.7.1 (e.g., 2.5.x, 2.6.x, 2.7.0)
  2. Check for Java Runtime class presence in classpath
    Identify what Java classes are available to the HSQLDB process by examining the classpath configuration (set via -cp flag, CLASSPATH environment variable, or application server lib folders). Specifically verify if java.lang.Runtime or java.lang.ProcessBuilder classes are accessible.
    Affected if Runtime or ProcessBuilder classes are in the classpath accessible to HSQLDB, enabling exec() calls via SQL
  3. Determine if SQL procedure invocation is enabled
    Examine HSQLDB configuration files (hsqldb.properties or hsqldb.xml in the database directory) for the property hsqldb.method_class_names. If this property is NOT set, the default vulnerable behavior allows calling arbitrary static methods.
    Affected if The hsqldb.method_class_names property is absent or not configured to restrict method access, leaving the default permissive access in effect
  4. Test for method invocation capability (if safe to do)
    Connect to the HSQLDB database using a SQL client (e.g., sqltool) and attempt a harmless test query: SELECT * FROM (SELECT system_io('test', 'echo test', 'r')) as t. Alternatively, check if the database accepts CREATE PROCEDURE or CALL statements referencing Java static methods.
    Affected if SQL statements can invoke Java static methods, confirming the vulnerable default behavior is active

A system is affected if HSQLDB version is below 2.7.1, the hsqldb.method_class_names property is not configured to restrict method access, and the Java classpath contains potentially dangerous classes like Runtime that could be exploited via SQL invocation.

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 2.7.1 or later
Fixed in 2.7.1
Interim mitigation

Update to HSQLDB 2.7.1+ where access is restricted by default, or set the system property hsqldb.method_class_names to explicitly whitelist only safe classes.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.7.1 or later

  1. Upgrade HyperSQL Database (hsqldb) to version 2.7.1 or later to resolve the vulnerability
  2. Alternatively, if upgrade is not possible, mitigate by setting the Java system property 'hsqldb.method_class_names' to restrict allowed classes (e.g., -Dhsqldb.method_class_names=abc)

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

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,780
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2022-41853 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