CVE-2022-4450

The function PEM_read_bio_ex() reads a PEM file from a BIO and parses and decodes the name (e.g. CERTIFICATE), any header data and the payload data. If the function succeeds then the name_out, header and data arguments are populated with pointers to buffers containing the relevant decoded data. The caller is responsible for freeing those buffers. It is possible to construct a PEM file that results in 0 bytes of payload data. In this case PEM_read_bio_ex() will return a failure code but will populate the header argument with a pointer to a buffer that has already been freed. If the caller also frees this buffer then a double free will occur. This will most likely lead to a crash. This could be exploited by an attacker who has the ability to supply malicious PEM files for parsing to achieve a denial of service attack.

The functions PEM_read_bio() and PEM_read() are simple wrappers around PEM_read_bio_ex() and therefore these functions are also directly affected.

These functions are also called indirectly by a number of other OpenSSL functions including PEM_X509_INFO_read_bio_ex() and SSL_CTX_use_serverinfo_file() which are also vulnerable. Some OpenSSL internal uses of these functions are not vulnerable because the caller does not free the header argument if PEM_read_bio_ex() returns a failure code. These locations include the PEM_read_bio_TYPE() functions as well as the decoders introduced in OpenSSL 3.0.

The OpenSSL asn1parse command line application is also impacted by this issue.

Weakness

The product calls free() twice on the same memory address.

Affected Software

Name	Vendor	Start Version	End Version
Openssl	Openssl	1.1.1 (including)	1.1.1t (excluding)
Openssl	Openssl	3.0.0 (including)	3.0.8 (excluding)
JBCS httpd 2.4.51.sp2	RedHat	openssl	*
JBoss Core Services for RHEL 8	RedHat	jbcs-httpd24-openssl-1:1.1.1k-14.el8jbcs	*
JBoss Core Services on RHEL 7	RedHat	jbcs-httpd24-openssl-1:1.1.1k-14.el7jbcs	*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8	RedHat	edk2-0:20220126gitbb1bba3d77-4.el8	*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8	RedHat	openssl-1:1.1.1k-9.el8_7	*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support	RedHat	openssl-1:1.1.1k-9.el8_6	*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9	RedHat	openssl-1:3.0.1-47.el9_1	*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9	RedHat	edk2-0:20221207gitfff6d81270b5-9.el9_2	*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9	RedHat	openssl-1:3.0.1-47.el9_1	*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 Extended Update Support	RedHat	openssl-1:3.0.1-46.el9_0	*
Red Hat JBoss Web Server 5	RedHat	openssl	*
Red Hat JBoss Web Server 5.7 on RHEL 7	RedHat	jws5-tomcat-native-0:1.2.31-14.redhat_14.el7jws	*
Red Hat JBoss Web Server 5.7 on RHEL 8	RedHat	jws5-tomcat-native-0:1.2.31-14.redhat_14.el8jws	*
Red Hat JBoss Web Server 5.7 on RHEL 9	RedHat	jws5-tomcat-native-0:1.2.31-14.redhat_14.el9jws	*
Edk2	Ubuntu	bionic	*
Edk2	Ubuntu	focal	*
Edk2	Ubuntu	jammy	*
Edk2	Ubuntu	kinetic	*
Edk2	Ubuntu	lunar	*
Edk2	Ubuntu	trusty	*
Edk2	Ubuntu	xenial	*
Nodejs	Ubuntu	esm-apps/jammy	*
Nodejs	Ubuntu	jammy	*
Nodejs	Ubuntu	trusty	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	bionic	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	devel	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	esm-infra/bionic	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	esm-infra/focal	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	fips-preview/jammy	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	fips-updates/bionic	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	fips-updates/focal	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	fips-updates/jammy	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	fips/bionic	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	fips/focal	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	focal	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	jammy	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	kinetic	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	lunar	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	mantic	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	noble	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	oracular	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	plucky	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	questing	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	trusty	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	upstream	*
Openssl	Ubuntu	xenial	*

NVD	https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-4450
CWE	https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/415.html

Double Free

Weakness

Affected Software

Potential Mitigations

References