CVE-2022-2309

7.5 HIGH 2% exploit odds Fix listed

What it is

NULL Pointer Dereference allows attackers to cause a denial of service (or application crash). This only applies when lxml is used together with libxml2 2.9.10 through 2.9.14. libxml2 2.9.9 and earlier are not affected. It allows triggering crashes through forged input data, given a vulnerable code sequence in the application. The vulnerability is caused by the iterwalk function (also used by the canonicalize function). Such code shouldn't be in wide-spread use, given that parsing + iterwalk would usually be replaced with the more efficient iterparse function. However, an XML converter that serialises to C14N would also be vulnerable, for example, and there are legitimate use cases for this code sequence. If untrusted input is received (also remotely) and processed via iterwalk function, a crash can be triggered.

At a glance

Exploitability: Can be exploited over the network without logging in. High risk of service disruption.
Exploit odds: 2.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Fix: A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

2022-07-05 10:15 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2026-06-17 04:41 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
Exploit odds: 2.4% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Severity: 7.5 HIGH (CVSS).
Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published: 2022-07-05 10:15 UTC
Last modified: 2026-06-17 04:41 UTC
Exploit probability: 2.4% · EPSS, next 30 days
Weakness: CWE-476 · NULL pointer dereference
Record status: Modified

Affected

Lxml < 4.9.1
Fedoraproject Fedora 36
Fedoraproject Fedora 37

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 7.5

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges needed: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2022-2309.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2022-2309. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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Fix and advisories

References

NVD record · CVE.org record