GHSA-x3mh-jvjw-3xwx · Severity: high · Ecosystem: rust — openssl-src's infinite loop in `BN_mod_sqrt()` reachable when parsing certificates
The BN_mod_sqrt() function, which computes a modular square root, contains a bug that can cause it to loop forever for non-prime moduli. Internally this function is used when parsing certificates that contain elliptic curve public keys in compressed form or explicit elliptic curve parameters with a base point encoded in compressed form. It is possible to trigger the infinite loop by crafting a certificate that has invalid explicit curve parameters. Since certificate parsing happens prior to verification of the certificate signature, any process that parses an externally supplied certificate may thus be subject to a denial of service attack. The infinite loop can also be reached when parsing crafted private keys as they can contain explicit elliptic curve parameters. Thus vulnerable situations include: - TLS clients consuming server certificates - TLS servers consuming client certificates - Hosting providers taking certificates or private keys from customers - Certificate authorities parsing certification requests from subscribers - Anything else which parses ASN.1 elliptic curve parameters Also any other applications that use the BN_mod_sqrt() where the attacker can control the parameter values are vulnerable to this DoS issue. In the OpenSSL 1.0.2 version the public key is not parsed during initial parsing of the certificate which makes it slightly harder to trigger the infinite loop. However any operation which requires the public key from the certificate will trigger the infinite loop. In particular the attacker can use a self-signed certificate to trigger the loop during verification of the certificate signature. This issue affects OpenSSL versions 1.0.2, 1.1.1 and 3.0. It was addressed in the releases of 1.1.1n and 3.0.2 on the 15th March 2022. Fixed in OpenSSL 3.0.2 (Affected 3.0.0,3.0.1). Fixed in OpenSSL 1.1.1n (Affected 1.1.1-1.1.1m). Fixed in OpenSSL 1.0.2zd (Affected 1.0.2-1.0.2zc).
Conclusion & alert: CVE-2022-0778 is rated High Risk (69.8/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 70.56%, 99th percentile). Core evidence: EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. EPSS rose +63.02% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. Mandatory action: High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize remediation.
Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.
EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).
| # | Date | Old EPSS score | New EPSS score | Delta (New - Old) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-06-15 | 7.54% | 70.56% | +63.02% |
| 2 | 2026-06-04 | 6.86% | 7.54% | +0.68% |
| 3 | 2026-05-22 | — | 6.86% | — |
Full EPSS history (124 records total)
CVSS metrics for this CVE.
| Base score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability | Impact | Score source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | 3.1 | HIGH |
|
3.9 | 3.6 | [email protected] |
| 5.0 | 2.0 | MEDIUM |
|
10.0 | 2.9 | [email protected] |
GHSA-x3mh-jvjw-3xwx · Severity: high · Ecosystem: rust — openssl-src's infinite loop in `BN_mod_sqrt()` reachable when parsing certificates
| vendor | priority | summary | link |
|---|---|---|---|
alpine
|
— | CVE-2022-0778: 7 source package rows (libressl, libretls, …); 91 state rows across 15 repos (3.12-main, 3.17-community, 3.17-main, 3.18-community, 3.18-main, 3.19-community, 3.19-main, 3.20-community, 3.20-main, 3.21-community, 3.21-main, 3.22-community, 3.22-main, edge-community, edge-main); fixed 42, open 49. | https://security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2022-0778 |
debian
|
not yet assigned | CVE-2022-0778 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (openssl), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. | https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2022-0778 |
gentoo
|
low | CVE-2022-0778: 2 GLSA(s) (202210-02, 202405-29), 2 atom(s) (dev-libs/openssl, net-libs/nodejs); latest impact low. | https://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=CVE-2022-0778 |
redhat
|
high | — | https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-0778 |
suse
|
high | CVE-2022-0778 severity important: SUSE including 444 source package names (1.1.1.0.1.5.568:libopenssl1_1-1.1.0i-14.27.1, 1.1.1.0.1.5.568:openssl-1_1-1.1.0i-14.27.1, …), 979 product×package rows across 133 product lines (Container caasp/v4/cilium, Container caasp/v4/cilium-operator, … (133 product lines)): Fixed 727, Known Affected 181, Known Not Affected 71. | https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-0778/ |
ubuntu
|
high | CVE-2022-0778 high priority: Ubuntu including 4 source packages (edk2, nodejs, openssl, openssl1.0), 56 status rows across 14 suites (bionic, focal, impish, jammy, kinetic, lunar, mantic, noble, oracular, plucky, questing, trusty, upstream, xenial): not-affected 20, released 17, DNE 13, needs-triage 3, needed 2, ignored 1. | https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2022-0778 |
| Vendor | Product | Version | Raw CPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| openssl | openssl | >= 1.0.2, < 1.0.2zd | cpe:2.3:a:openssl:openssl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| openssl | openssl | >= 1.1.0, < 1.1.1n | cpe:2.3:a:openssl:openssl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| openssl | openssl | >= 3.0.0, < 3.0.2 | cpe:2.3:a:openssl:openssl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| debian | debian_linux | 9.0 | cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| debian | debian_linux | 10.0 | cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| debian | debian_linux | 11.0 | cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| netapp | cloud_volumes_ontap_mediator | — | cpe:2.3:a:netapp:cloud_volumes_ontap_mediator:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| netapp | clustered_data_ontap | — | cpe:2.3:a:netapp:clustered_data_ontap:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| netapp | clustered_data_ontap_antivirus_connector | — | cpe:2.3:a:netapp:clustered_data_ontap_antivirus_connector:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| netapp | santricity_smi-s_provider | — | cpe:2.3:a:netapp:santricity_smi-s_provider:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| netapp | storagegrid | — | cpe:2.3:a:netapp:storagegrid:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| netapp | a250_firmware | — | cpe:2.3:o:netapp:a250_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| netapp | 500f_firmware | — | cpe:2.3:o:netapp:500f_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| fedoraproject | fedora | 34 | cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| fedoraproject | fedora | 36 | cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:36:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| tenable | nessus | < 8.15.4 | cpe:2.3:a:tenable:nessus:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| tenable | nessus | >= 10.0.0, < 10.1.2 | cpe:2.3:a:tenable:nessus:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| mariadb | mariadb | >= 10.2.0, < 10.2.42 | cpe:2.3:a:mariadb:mariadb:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| mariadb | mariadb | >= 10.3.0, < 10.3.33 | cpe:2.3:a:mariadb:mariadb:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| mariadb | mariadb | >= 10.4.0, < 10.4.23 | cpe:2.3:a:mariadb:mariadb:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| mariadb | mariadb | >= 10.5.0, < 10.5.14 | cpe:2.3:a:mariadb:mariadb:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| mariadb | mariadb | >= 10.6.0, < 10.6.6 | cpe:2.3:a:mariadb:mariadb:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| mariadb | mariadb | >= 10.7.0, < 10.7.2 | cpe:2.3:a:mariadb:mariadb:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* |
| nodejs | node.js | >= 12.0.0, <= 12.12.0 | cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:node.js:*:*:*:*:-:*:*:* |
| nodejs | node.js | >= 12.13.0, < 12.22.11 | cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:node.js:*:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* |
| nodejs | node.js | > 14.0.0, <= 14.14.0 | cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:node.js:*:*:*:*:-:*:*:* |
| nodejs | node.js | >= 14.15.0, < 14.19.1 | cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:node.js:*:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* |
| nodejs | node.js | > 16.0.0, <= 16.12.0 | cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:node.js:*:*:*:*:-:*:*:* |
| nodejs | node.js | >= 16.13.0, < 16.14.2 | cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:node.js:*:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* |
| nodejs | node.js | > 17.0.0, < 17.7.2 | cpe:2.3:a:nodejs:node.js:*:*:*:*:-:*:*:* |