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CVE-2022-3602

X.509 Email Address 4-byte Buffer Overflow

Published: Nov 1, 2022Updated: Apr 14, 2026 Sources: CVE List NVD GHSA BDU csafCWE-787

Description

A buffer overrun can be triggered in X.509 certificate verification, specifically in name constraint checking. Note that this occurs after certificate chain signature verification and requires either a CA to have signed the malicious certificate or for the application to continue certificate verification despite failure to construct a path to a trusted issuer. An attacker can craft a malicious email address to overflow four attacker-controlled bytes on the stack. This buffer overflow could result in a crash (causing a denial of service) or potentially remote code execution. Many platforms implement stack overflow protections which would mitigate against the risk of remote code execution. The risk may be further mitigated based on stack layout for any given platform/compiler. Pre-announcements of CVE-2022-3602 described this issue as CRITICAL. Further analysis based on some of the mitigating factors described above have led this to be downgraded to HIGH. Users are still encouraged to upgrade to a new version as soon as possible. In a TLS client, this can be triggered by connecting to a malicious server. In a TLS server, this can be triggered if the server requests client authentication and a malicious client connects. Fixed in OpenSSL 3.0.7 (Affected 3.0.0,3.0.1,3.0.2,3.0.3,3.0.4,3.0.5,3.0.6).

CVSS Vector Breakdown

AV:NAC:LPR:NUI:NS:UC:NI:NA:H
Exploitability
AV:NAttack Vector
Network
AC:LAttack Complexity
Low
PR:NPrivileges Required
None
UI:NUser Interaction
None
Scope
S:UScope
Unchanged
Impact
C:NConfidentiality
None
I:NIntegrity
None
A:HAvailability
High

Weaknesses

Affected Products

openssloss-projectUSOSS Librariesaka open ssl
fedoraprojectoss-projectUSOperating Systemsaka fedora project
nodejsoss-projectUSOSS Librariesaka node.js, node
crates.iopackage-ecosystemOSS Libraries
and 15 more affected products View all →

Attack Graph

Products CVE Techniques Tactics

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Exploitability

1 exploit source identified

Exploit details including PoC links, Metasploit modules, and scanner templates are available after registration.

View exploit details
Official Patch Available

MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques
Initial Access
Privilege Escalation
View detailed technique mapping

References

and 78 more references View all →

Timeline

Published
Nov 1, 2022
Last Updated
Apr 14, 2026
1

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