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MatrixsslApplication

CVE-2022-43974

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.6.0 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
MatrixSSL 4.0.4 through 4.5.1 has an integer overflow in matrixSslDecodeTls13. A remote attacker might be able to send a crafted TLS Message to cause a buffer overflow and achieve remote code execution. This is fixed in 4.6.0.

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

MatrixSSL versions 4.0.4 through 4.5.1 contain an integer overflow vulnerability in the matrixSslDecodeTls13 TLS message decoding function. A remote attacker can send a specially crafted TLS message that triggers the integer overflow, leading to a buffer overflow condition that may enable remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade MatrixSSL to version 4.6.0 or later to patch the integer overflow in the TLS 1.3 message decoder. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, restrict network exposure of affected TLS endpoints and monitor for anomalous TLS handshake patterns.

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
MatrixsslApplication
Affected:>= 4.0.0, < 4.6.0

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
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. Locate MatrixSSL library in the environment
    Search for MatrixSSL library files: find / -name '*matrixssl*' 2>/dev/null on Linux, or check common library directories like /usr/lib, /usr/local/lib. On Windows, search for matrixssl.dll or check installation directories.
    Affected if MatrixSSL library files are present in the system
  2. Identify the installed MatrixSSL version
    Examine the library file or associated headers for version information. Common locations: /usr/include/matrixssl/matrixsslApi.h, or run strings on the library file and search for version patterns like '4.0', '4.1', '4.2', '4.3', '4.4', '4.5'. If the library is used by an application, check the application's dependencies or documentation for the bundled MatrixSSL version.
    Affected if The discovered version is 4.0.0 through 4.5.1 inclusive, or any version < 4.6.0
  3. Determine if TLS 1.3 support is enabled
    Review the application or service configuration that uses MatrixSSL. Check source code or configuration files for TLS 1.3 enablement flags such as TLS_1_3_ENABLED, or examine the MatrixSSL build configuration (matrixConfig.h) if accessible. If network-accessible, attempt a TLS 1.3 handshake probe.
    Affected if TLS 1.3 protocol support is enabled and the service accepts TLS 1.3 connections
  4. Check if the vulnerable TLS decoding function is reachable
    If MatrixSSL is used as a library by an application, determine if that application processes incoming TLS 1.3 messages. For network services, verify the service exposes TLS endpoints to remote attackers. Review application logs or network listening services to confirm TLS 1.3 traffic handling.
    Affected if The system processes or can receive TLS 1.3 traffic from remote network sources

A system is affected if it runs any application using MatrixSSL version 4.0.0 or higher but lower than 4.6.0 with TLS 1.3 protocol support enabled and exposed to network traffic.

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 4.6.0 or later
Fixed in 4.6.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade MatrixSSL to version 4.6.0 or later to patch the integer overflow in the TLS 1.3 message decoder. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, restrict network exposure of affected TLS endpoints and monitor for anomalous TLS handshake patterns.

Recommended fix High confidence

MatrixSSL 4.6.0

  1. 1. Identify the current MatrixSSL version in use by checking project dependencies or library files
  2. 2. Confirm the installed version is >= 4.0.0 and < 4.6.0
  3. 3. Obtain MatrixSSL version 4.6.0 or later from the official source (https://matrixssl.org/)
  4. 4. Replace the existing MatrixSSL library files with version 4.6.0
  5. 5. Rebuild and recompile any projects that link against MatrixSSL
  6. 6. Verify the new version is correctly installed and the application functions normally
  7. 7. Test the TLS functionality to ensure the upgrade does not break existing features

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

Fix this in Matrixssl Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
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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-2022-43974 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