CVE-2022-33915

CVE-2022-33915 is a high-severity vulnerability in Amazon Hotpatch with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-362.

Key facts

Description

Versions of the Amazon AWS Apache Log4j hotpatch package before log4j-cve-2021-44228-hotpatch-1.3.5 are affected by a race condition that could lead to a local privilege escalation. This Hotpatch package is not a replacement for updating to a log4j version that mitigates CVE-2021-44228 or CVE-2021-45046; it provides a temporary mitigation to CVE-2021-44228 by hotpatching the local Java virtual machines. To do so, it iterates through all running Java processes, performs several checks, and executes the Java virtual machine with the same permissions and capabilities as the running process to load the hotpatch. A local user could cause the hotpatch script to execute a binary with elevated privileges by running a custom java process that performs exec() of an SUID binary after the hotpatch has observed the process path and before it has observed its effective user ID.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-33915?
Versions of the Amazon AWS Apache Log4j hotpatch package before log4j-cve-2021-44228-hotpatch-1.3.5 are affected by a race condition that could lead to a local privilege escalation. This Hotpatch package is not a replacement for updating to a log4j version that mitigates CVE-2021-44228 or CVE-2021-45046; it provides a temporary mitigation to CVE-2021-44228 by hotpatching the local Java virtual machines. To do so, it iterates through all running Java processes, performs several checks, and executes the Java virtual machine with the same permissions and capabilities as the running process to load the hotpatch. A local user could cause the hotpatch script to execute a binary with elevated privileges by running a custom java process that performs exec() of an SUID binary after the hotpatch has observed the process path and before it has observed its effective user ID.
How severe is CVE-2022-33915?
CVE-2022-33915 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2022-33915 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (8th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-33915?
CVE-2022-33915 affects Amazon Hotpatch. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-33915?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2022-33915 published?
CVE-2022-33915 was published on 2022-06-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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