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CVE-2022-41966

HighCVSS 8.2 / 10
Published Dec 27, 2022·Last modified Apr 10, 2026
Affected Components(0)

No affected components available

Description

XStream serializes Java objects to XML and back again. Versions prior to 1.4.20 may allow a remote attacker to terminate the application with a stack overflow error, resulting in a denial of service only via manipulation the processed input stream. The attack uses the hash code implementation for collections and maps to force recursive hash calculation causing a stack overflow. This issue is patched in version 1.4.20 which handles the stack overflow and raises an InputManipulationException instead. A potential workaround for users who only use HashMap or HashSet and whose XML refers these only as default map or set, is to change the default implementation of java.util.Map and java.util per the code example in the referenced advisory. However, this implies that your application does not care about the implementation of the map and all elements are comparable.

Risk Scores
Base Score
8.2

The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker does not need any special privileges or access rights. No user interaction is needed for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability. The impact is confined to the system where the vulnerability exists. There is a low impact on the integrity of the data. There is a high impact on the availability of the system.

Threat Intelligence
7.8

Exploitation activity has been observed. Apply available patches or mitigations urgently.

EPSS
8.69%

The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.

Exploit
Proof of Concept

A proof of concept is available for this vulnerability (1 exploit found).

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