CVE-2022-3786

CVE-2022-3786 is a high-severity vulnerability in Openssl with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 92% places it in the 100th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-120.

Key facts

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 a malicious certificate or for an application to continue certificate verification despite failure to construct a path to a trusted issuer. An attacker can craft a malicious email address in a certificate to overflow an arbitrary number of bytes containing the `.' character (decimal 46) on the stack. This buffer overflow could result in a crash (causing a denial of service). 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.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-3786?
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 a malicious certificate or for an application to continue certificate verification despite failure to construct a path to a trusted issuer. An attacker can craft a malicious email address in a certificate to overflow an arbitrary number of bytes containing the `.' character (decimal 46) on the stack. This buffer overflow could result in a crash (causing a denial of service). 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.
How severe is CVE-2022-3786?
CVE-2022-3786 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2022-3786 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 92% (100th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-3786?
CVE-2022-3786 primarily affects Openssl. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-3786?
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-2022-3786 published?
CVE-2022-3786 was published on 2022-11-01 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

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Threat intelligence

Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE: