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FedoraOperating system · Fedoraproject

CVE-2022-46344

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
A vulnerability was found in X.Org. This security flaw occurs because the handler for the XIChangeProperty request has a length-validation issues, resulting in out-of-bounds memory reads and potential information disclosure. This issue can lead to local privileges elevation on systems where the X server is running privileged and remote code execution for ssh X forwarding sessions.

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

A length-validation vulnerability in X.Org's XIChangeProperty request handler allows out-of-bounds memory reads, enabling information disclosure. The flaw can be exploited for local privilege escalation on systems with privileged X servers or remote code execution through ssh X forwarding sessions.

MitigationApply X.Org security patches to fix the length-validation in the XIChangeProperty handler; ensure X server and X11 forwarding components are updated to patched versions.

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
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 36= 37
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 11.0
X ServerApplication
Affected:= 1.20.4

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 X.org X Server version
    On Fedora: rpm -q xorg-x11-server-core. On Debian: dpkg -l xserver-xorg-core. Or run: Xorg -version 2>&1
    Affected if The installed version matches 1.20.4 or falls within the affected ranges (Fedora 36/37, Debian 11.0, X Server 1.20.4)
  2. Determine if X server is currently running
    Run: ps aux | grep Xorg or ps aux | grep X ; or check for X11 socket in /tmp/.X11-unix/
    Affected if An X server process is active, making the XIChangeProperty handler code path accessible
  3. Verify XI (X Input extension) is available
    Run: xdpyinfo -ext XI2 2>/dev/null | head -5 ; or list extensions with: xdpyinfo | grep 'extensions:'
    Affected if The XI extension is listed as available, indicating the vulnerable XIChangeProperty handler is present
  4. Check for active X11 forwarding sessions
    Run: env | grep -i x11 ; or check sshd config: grep -r X11Forwarding /etc/ssh/ ; or list active X displays: ls -la /tmp/.X11-unix/
    Affected if X11 forwarding is enabled or active display sockets exist, creating a potential remote attack vector

A user is affected if they run an unpatched X Server version 1.20.4 (or affected Fedora/Debian versions) with an active X server and the XI extension, particularly if X11 forwarding is enabled for remote access.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply X.Org security patches to fix the length-validation in the XIChangeProperty handler; ensure X server and X11 forwarding components are updated to patched versions.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to the latest xorg-x11-server version available in your distribution's security repositories (Fedora 36/37 or Debian 11 updates)

  1. 1. For Fedora systems: Run 'dnf update xorg-x11-server' to apply the latest security updates containing the fix for CVE-2022-46344
  2. 2. For Debian systems: Run 'apt update && apt install xserver-xorg-core' to install the patched version from Debian 11 security updates
  3. 3. Alternatively, verify your current X Server version with 'Xorg -version' and check if updates are available via your distribution's package manager
  4. 4. After updating, restart the X server or reboot the system to ensure the patched version is running
  5. 5. For SSH X forwarding sessions (remote code execution vector), ensure both client and server are updated
Caveat Standard X server update; should not introduce breaking changes for normal desktop usage

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

Fix this in Fedora Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,120
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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-2022-46344 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