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CVE-2022-38153

An issue was discovered in wolfSSL before 5.5.0 (when --enable-session-ticket is used); however,...

5.9 MediumFix available

An issue was discovered in wolfSSL before 5.5.0 (when --enable-session-ticket is used); however, only version 5.3.0 is exploitable. Man-in-the-middle attackers or a malicious server can crash TLS 1.2 clients during a handshake. If an attacker injects a large ticket (more than 256 bytes) into a NewSessionTicket message in a TLS 1.2 handshake, and the client has a non-empty session cache, the session cache frees a pointer that points to unallocated memory, causing the client to crash with a "free(): invalid pointer" message. NOTE: It is likely that this is also exploitable during TLS 1.3 handshakes between a client and a malicious server. With TLS 1.3, it is not possible to exploit this as a man-in-the-middle.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

2.48%Up 1.5 points since Sep 1, 2022
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

NVD Score used 5.9

An issue was discovered in wolfSSL before 5.5.0 (when --enable-session-ticket is used); however, only version 5.3.0 is exploitable. Man-in-the-middle attackers or a malicious server can crash TLS 1.2 clients during a handshake. If an attacker injects a large ticket (more than 256 bytes) into a NewSessionTicket message in a TLS 1.2 handshake, and the client has a non-empty session cache, the session cache frees a pointer that points to unallocated memory, causing the client to crash with a "free(): invalid pointer" message. NOTE: It is likely that this is also exploitable during TLS 1.3 handshakes between a client and a malicious server. With TLS 1.3, it is not possible to exploit this as a man-in-the-middle.

Record
CVE-2022-38153
CVSS 3.1
5.9 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-770
Updated
2026-11-02
CVE List No score

An issue was discovered in wolfSSL before 5.5.0 (when --enable-session-ticket is used); however, only version 5.3.0 is exploitable. Man-in-the-middle attackers or a malicious server can crash TLS 1.2 clients during a handshake. If an attacker injects a large ticket (more than 256 bytes) into a NewSessionTicket message in a TLS 1.2 handshake, and the client has a non-empty session cache, the session cache frees a pointer that points to unallocated memory, causing the client to crash with a "free(): invalid pointer" message. NOTE: It is likely that this is also exploitable during TLS 1.3 handshakes between a client and a malicious server. With TLS 1.3, it is not possible to exploit this as a man-in-the-middle.

Record
CVE-2022-38153
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2022-40750 No score

An issue was discovered in wolfSSL before 5.5.0 (when --enable-session-ticket is used); however, only version 5.3.0 is exploitable. Man-in-the-middle attackers or a malicious server can crash TLS 1.2 clients during a handshake. If an attacker injects a large ticket (more than 256 bytes) into a NewSessionTicket message in a TLS 1.2 handshake, and the client has a non-empty session cache, the session cache frees a pointer that points to unallocated memory, causing the client to crash with a "free(): invalid pointer" message. NOTE: It is likely that this is also exploitable during TLS 1.3 handshakes between a client and a malicious server. With TLS 1.3, it is not possible to exploit this as a man-in-the-middle.

Record
EUVD-2022-40750
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-9cp4-7v5m-jx89 5.9

An issue was discovered in wolfSSL before 5.5.0 (when --enable-session-ticket is used); however,...

An issue was discovered in wolfSSL before 5.5.0 (when --enable-session-ticket is used); however, only version 5.3.0 is exploitable. Man-in-the-middle attackers or a malicious server can crash TLS 1.2 clients during a handshake. If an attacker injects a large ticket (more than 256 bytes) into a NewSessionTicket message in a TLS 1.2 handshake, and the client has a non-empty session cache, the session cache frees a pointer that points to unallocated memory, causing the client to crash with a "free(): invalid pointer" message. NOTE: It is likely that this is also exploitable during TLS 1.3 handshakes between a client and a malicious server. With TLS 1.3, it is not possible to exploit this as a man-in-the-middle.

Record
GHSA-9cp4-7v5m-jx89
CVSS 3.1
5.9 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-770
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2022-38153 5.9

An issue was discovered in wolfSSL before 5.5.0 (when --enable-session-ticket is used); however, only version 5.3.0 is exploitable. Man-in-the-middle attackers or a malicious server can crash TLS 1.2 clients during a handshake. If an attacker injects a large ticket (more than 256 bytes) into a NewSessionTicket message in a TLS 1.2 handshake, and the client has a non-empty session cache, the session cache frees a pointer that points to unallocated memory, causing the client to crash with a "free(): invalid pointer" message. NOTE: It is likely that this is also exploitable during TLS 1.3 handshakes between a client and a malicious server. With TLS 1.3, it is not possible to exploit this as a man-in-the-middle.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2022-38153
CVSS 3.1
5.9 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-03
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2022-38153 5.9

An issue was discovered in wolfSSL before 5.5.0 (when --enable-session-ticket is used); however, only version 5.3.0 is exploitable. Man-in-the-middle attackers or a malicious server can crash TLS 1.2 clients during a handshake. If an attacker injects a large ticket (more than 256 bytes) into a NewSessionTicket message in a TLS 1.2 handshake, and the client has a non-empty session cache, the session cache frees a pointer that points to unallocated memory, causing the client to crash with a "free(): invalid pointer" message. NOTE: It is likely that this is also exploitable during TLS 1.3 handshakes between a client and a malicious server. With TLS 1.3, it is not possible to exploit this as a man-in-the-middle.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2022-38153
CVSS 3.1
5.9 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV No score

An issue was discovered in wolfSSL before 5.5.0 (when --enable-session-ticket is used); however, only version 5.3.0 is exploitable. Man-in-the-middle attackers or a malicious server can crash TLS 1.2 clients during a handshake. If an attacker injects a large ticket (more than 256 bytes) into a NewSessionTicket message in a TLS 1.2 handshake, and the client has a non-empty session cache, the session cache frees a pointer that points to unallocated memory, causing the client to crash with a "free(): invalid pointer" message. NOTE: It is likely that this is also exploitable during TLS 1.3 handshakes between a client and a malicious server. With TLS 1.3, it is not possible to exploit this as a man-in-the-middle.

Record
CVE-2022-38153
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
wolfssl
Debian:12
before 5.5.3-1
5.5.3-1
wolfssl
Debian:13
before 5.5.3-1
5.5.3-1
wolfssl
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
3.4.8+dfsg-1
None known
wolfssl
Ubuntu:18.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
3.10.2+dfsg-23.12.0+dfsg-13.12.2+dfsg-13.13.0+dfsg-1
None known
wolfssl
Ubuntu:20.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
4.1.0+dfsg-24.2.0+dfsg-14.2.0+dfsg-24.2.0+dfsg-34.3.0+dfsg-2
None known
wolfssl
Ubuntu:22.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
4.6.0-35.0.0-15.1.1-15.2.0-15.2.0-2
None known
wolfssl
Ubuntu:24.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
5.5.4-25.5.4-2.15.6.4-25.6.6-1.25.6.6-1.35.6.6-1.3build1
None known
wolfssl
Ubuntu:25.10
All versions, plus listed versions
5.7.2-0.1
None known
wolfssl
Ubuntu:26.10
All versions, plus listed versions
5.9.1-0.15.9.2-1
None known
wolfssl
Ubuntu:26.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
5.7.2-0.15.8.2-1.25.8.4-15.9.1-0.1
None known

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
aliasesEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2022-38153 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.9) in Wolfssl, published August 31, 2022. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.48%, the 84th percentile. Fixed in wolfssl 5.5.3-1.

References

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