How severe is CVE-2022-4170?

CVE-2022-4170 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2022-4170 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2022-4170?

CVE-2022-4170 primarily affects Rxvt-unicode Project Rxvt-unicode. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2022-4170?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2022-4170 published?

CVE-2022-4170 was published on 2022-12-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2022-4170

CVE-2022-4170 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Rxvt-unicode Project Rxvt-unicode with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-74.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (79th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-74
Affected product: Rxvt-unicode Project Rxvt-unicode
Published: 2022-12-09
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The rxvt-unicode package is vulnerable to a remote code execution, in the Perl background extension, when an attacker can control the data written to the user's terminal and certain options are set.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-4170?: The rxvt-unicode package is vulnerable to a remote code execution, in the Perl background extension, when an attacker can control the data written to the user's terminal and certain options are set.
How severe is CVE-2022-4170?: CVE-2022-4170 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2022-4170 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-4170?: CVE-2022-4170 primarily affects Rxvt-unicode Project Rxvt-unicode. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-4170?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2022-4170 published?: CVE-2022-4170 was published on 2022-12-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:a:rxvt-unicode_project:rxvt-unicode:9.25:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:rxvt-unicode_project:rxvt-unicode:9.26:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:fedoraproject:extra_packages_for_enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:37:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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