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Json.hApplication · Json.h Project

CVE-2022-45493

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2022-11-14 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
Buffer overflow vulnerability in function json_parse_key in sheredom json.h before commit 0825301a07cbf51653882bf2b153cc81fdadf41 (November 14, 2022) allows attackers to code arbitrary code and gain escalated privileges.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the json_parse_key function of the sheredom json.h C library allows attackers to overwrite memory boundaries, potentially executing arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The flaw exists in versions prior to the November 14, 2022 patch commit.

MitigationUpdate sheredom json.h to commit 0825301a07cbf51653882bf2b153cc81fdadf41 or later. Audit existing code using this library to verify no other unpatched versions remain in dependencies.

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
Json.hApplication
Affected:< 2022-11-14

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. Locate json.h in your environment
    Search your codebase, dependencies, and third-party libraries for the file 'json.h' - it is a single-header library, so look for the header file itself. Check dependency manifests, package managers, or git submodules that may include the sheredom json.h library.
    Affected if The file json.h from the sheredom/utf8.h project exists in your codebase or dependencies
  2. Check the version or commit date of json.h
    Open the json.h file and look for version comments, git history, or the file modification date. Compare the date to November 14, 2022. If the file contains a version identifier or was last updated before that date, it is likely vulnerable.
    Affected if The json.h file predates November 14, 2022 or lacks the November 2022 patch
  3. Verify the json_parse_key function is present and unchanged
    Search the json.h file for the function definition 'json_parse_key'. If the function exists and the file has no patch applied, the vulnerable code path is present.
    Affected if The json_parse_key function exists without the patch from commit 0825301a07cbf51653882bf2b153cc81fdadf41
  4. Determine if your code parses untrusted JSON input
    Review your code that uses json.h to see if it parses JSON from external or untrusted sources. The buffer overflow in json_parse_key is only exploitable when processing key data from JSON input you do not control.
    Affected if Your application uses json.h to parse JSON from user input, files, or network sources

You are affected if your environment contains the sheredom json.h library version prior to November 14, 2022 and you use it to parse untrusted JSON input containing keys.

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 2022-11-14 or later
Fixed in 2022-11-14
Interim mitigation

Update sheredom json.h to commit 0825301a07cbf51653882bf2b153cc81fdadf41 or later. Audit existing code using this library to verify no other unpatched versions remain in dependencies.

Recommended fix High confidence

json.h version/commit 0825301a07cbf51653882bf2b153cc81fdadf41 or later (post-November 14, 2022)

  1. Identify the current json.h file in your project (typically in include/ or a similar directory)
  2. Locate the sheredom json.h repository at github.com/sheredom/json.h
  3. Obtain the version of json.h from commit 0825301a07cbf51653882bf2b153cc81fdadf41 or a version released on or after November 14, 2022
  4. Replace the existing json.h file with the updated version containing the fix
  5. Rebuild your project to incorporate the fixed library
  6. Verify the json_parse_key function no longer contains the out-of-bounds write vulnerability through testing

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

Fix this in Json.h Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,840
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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-2022-45493 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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