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Arm CompilerApplication · Arm

CVE-2022-43702

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.5 / 6.18 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
When the directory containing the installer does not have sufficiently restrictive file permissions, an attacker can modify (or replace) the installer to execute malicious code.

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

This vulnerability exists because the directory containing an installer lacks sufficiently restrictive file permissions, allowing an attacker to modify or replace the installer file before or during execution. This enables arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running the installer.

MitigationApply restrictive file permissions (e.g., 755 or more restrictive) to directories containing installers and ensure they are protected from unauthorized write access.

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
Arm CompilerApplication
Affected:>= 5.00, <= 5.06>= 6.00, < 6.18
Arm Compiler For Embedded FusaApplication
Affected:= 6.16
Arm Compiler For Functional SafetyApplication
Affected:>= 6.6, < 6.6.5
Arm Development StudioApplication
Affected:all versions
Ds Development StudioApplication
Affected:>= 5.0.0, <= 5.29.3
Fast ModelsApplication
Affected:all versions

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 installed Arm product and version
    Check the installed version by examining product-specific metadata. For Arm Compiler, look in the installation directory for a version file or check registry entries. For Development Studio, check the 'sw/mappings' or 'bin' directories for version information, or use 'armds_version.sh' if available.
    Affected if The installed version falls within: Arm Compiler 5.00-5.06 or 6.00-6.17.x; Arm Compiler For Embedded Fusa 6.16; Arm Compiler For Functional Safety 6.6 to 6.6.4; Development Studio 5.0.0-5.29.3; or any version of Arm Development Studio or Fast Models.
  2. Locate the installer directory
    Identify the directory where the installer files are stored or were extracted. This is typically the original installation source location, such as '/opt/arm', 'C:\Program Files\Arm', or a downloads folder. Check both the current installation path and any cached installer locations.
    Affected if The installer directory exists and contains installer files (.exe, .msi, .sh, or installation bundles) from the affected Arm products.
  3. Check directory permissions for write access
    On Linux/Unix: use 'ls -ld <directory>' to view permissions. On Windows: right-click the directory, go to Properties > Security, or use 'icacls <directory>' command. Examine whether unauthorized users or groups have Write or Modify permissions.
    Affected if The directory grants Write or Modify permissions to non-privileged users, groups, or 'Everyone'. Permissions less restrictive than 755 (owner read/write/execute only, others read/execute) on Unix-like systems indicate the vulnerability is present.
  4. Verify installer file integrity
    Compare the current installer files with their original checksums if available. Check file modification timestamps to see if files were modified after the original installation date. Look for unexpected files or scripts in the installer directory.
    Affected if Installer files show unexpected modifications, have incorrect timestamps compared to the installation date, or contain extra/unknown files that may indicate tampering.

A defender is affected if they have any of the listed Arm products installed AND the directory containing their installer files grants write access to unauthorized users, allowing potential tampering before or during installation.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.6.5 / 6.18 or later
Fixed in 6.6.56.18
Interim mitigation

Apply restrictive file permissions (e.g., 755 or more restrictive) to directories containing installers and ensure they are protected from unauthorized write access.

Fix this in Arm Compiler Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
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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-2022-43702 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